COAL MINE FATALITY – On Thursday, July 1, 2010, a 60-year old section electrician was fatally injured when he was run over by a shuttle car. The victim was last seen walking outby the face in a connecting crosscut. As the loaded shuttle car was leaving the continuous miner, the victim was discovered under the shuttle car.
Best Practices
- Always sound the shuttle car alarm or bell when approaching and before traveling through check curtains.
- Be aware of your location in relation to movement of equipment, especially in lower coal seams.
- Wear reflective or florescent clothing to aid visibility when working around mobile equipment.
- Train miners to use effective means of communication between themselves and equipment operators.
- Develop and follow standard operating procedures for tramming shuttle cars.
- Ensure all personnel are clear of the traveling path and turning radius before moving equipment.
- Pursue new technology such as proximity detection to protect personnel and eliminate accidents of this type.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf)