On Tuesday, February 19, 2013, a 44-year old shuttle car operator, with four years of experience, was killed when he was pinned underneath the battery end of a section scoop. The accident occurred on the No. 3 Section in the first connecting crosscut inby the feeder between the Number 5 and 6 entries. The victim was shoveling along the ribs of the crosscut when a battery-powered scoop backed into the crosscut, striking him.
Best Practices
- Train miners to establish and use effective means of communication while operating and working around mobile equipment.
- Know your location relative to the movement of mobile equipment and never position yourself between any piece of equipment in motion and a stationary object. Assume the equipment operator has not seen you, unless eye contact is confirmed and signal your presence to equipment operators.
- Install and utilize Proximity Detection Systems on continuous mining machines and haulage equipment to prevent these types of accidents and fatalities. See More…
- Use cameras mounted on section haulage equipment and utility equipment, such as scoops, to improve the visibility of machine operators.
- When operating equipment, sound audible warnings when traveling around turns or blind spots, through ventilation curtains, and any other time the equipment operator’s visibility is limited or obstructed.
- Never position extraneous material or supplies on top of mobile equipment, or position the machine’s batteries in a manner which can interfere with or obstruct the visibility of the machine operator.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf).