On March 2, 2022, a miner was fatally injured when an overhang along the mine rib fell, striking the miner and pushing him against the canopy of a twin boom roof bolting machine. The miner freed himself from the fall, but later died.
Best Practices:
- Remove overhangs with the continuous mining machine.
- Install support of proper length with surface area coverage, on cycle, and in a consistent pattern for the best protection against falls.
- Examine the roof, face, and ribs immediately before starting work in an area where people work and travel, including sound and vibration testing where applicable.
- Scale loose roof and ribs from a safe location. Prevent access to hazardous areas until you take corrective measures.
- Take additional safety precautions when encountering new and changing roof and rib conditions.
- Train miners on how to identify hazardous roof and rib conditions.
Additional Information:
This is the ninth fatality reported in 2022, and the first classified as “Fall of Face, Rib, Side, or Highwall.”
Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).