On Wednesday, February 21, 2018, a 38-year-old highwall mining machine operator, with 21 years of total mining experience, was electrocuted when he contacted an energized connection of a 7,200 volt electrical circuit. The victim was found inside a transformer station troubleshooting and/or performing electrical work on the electrical system that supplies power to the mining machine.
Best Practices:
- Lock-Out and Tag-Out the electrical circuit yourself and NEVER rely on others to do this for you.
- Follow these steps BEFORE entering an electrical enclosure or performing electrical work:
- Locate the circuit breaker or load break switch away from the enclosure and open it to de-energize the incoming power cable(s) or conductors.
- Locate the visual disconnect away from the enclosure and open it to provide visual evidence that the incoming power cable(s) or conductors have been de-energized.
- Lock-out and tag-out the visual disconnect.
- Ground the de-energized conductors.
- Wear properly rated and well maintained electrical gloves when troubleshooting or testing energized circuits. After the electrical problem has been found, follow the proper steps before performing electrical work
- Use properly rated electrical meters and non-contact voltage testers to ensure electrical circuits have been de-energized.
- Install warning labels on line side terminals of circuit breakers and switches stating that the terminal lugs remain energized when the circuit breaker or switch is open.
- Electrical work must be performed by a qualified electrician or someone trained to do electrical work under the direct supervision of a qualified electrician.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).
On Friday, December 29, 2017, at approximately 12:57 a.m., a 34-year-old bulldozer operator with 10 years of mining experience was fatally injured. While pushing overburden toward the edge of a highwall, the bulldozer he was operating travelled over the edge, down an embankment, and came to rest approximately 400 feet from where it went over the highwall.
On Monday, October 23, 2017, a 48-year-old mine examiner with 19 years of mining experience, received fatal injuries after he fell on the No. 1 conveyor belt near the transfer point with the No. 2 conveyor belt and was transported by the belt conveyor system to the raw coal pile. It appears he was attempting to cross the No. 1 conveyor belt at the time of the accident.
On Thursday, September 28, 2017, a 39-year-old miner with ten years of mining experience received fatal injuries when coal from the longwall face rolled out and completely covered him. The victim was assisting with roof bolting by untangling the mesh during the longwall recovery process. At the time of the accident, the victim was located between the coal face and the pan line.
On Friday, August 25, 2017, a 51-year-old mine examiner with 27 years of mining experience was killed when, near the transfer point with the No. 2 conveyor belt, he apparently lost his footing attempting to cross over the moving No. 1 conveyor belt. He fell onto the No. 1 belt and hit a belt crossover located approximately 10 feet outby. The victim was found beside the conveyor belt just outside the mine entrance.
On August 3, 2017, a 32-year-old miner with 6 years of mining experience was fatally crushed while he was cutting one end of a metal beam. He was dismantling a metal structure at a preparation plant when the beam fell on him.
On July 25, 2017, a 28-year-old bulldozer operator with 1 year and 9 months of mining experience was fatally injured at a surface facility. The victim was operating a bulldozer, pushing material off of a refuse bank before the accident occurred. He was found lying in the bulldozer’s push path at the top of an incline near the edge of the refuse bank. The bulldozer had run over the victim and continued over the edge of the incline, coming to rest at the bottom of the embankment.
On June 19, 2017, a 32-year-old preshift examiner was fatally injured when he was thrown or jumped from a moving locomotive. Two locomotives (front and rear) were being used to transport three supply cars into the mine. The examiner was riding in the passenger seat of the front locomotive when the operators lost control on a grade and the front locomotive and the first two supply cars derailed.
On Tuesday, June 13, 2017, a 32-year-old continuous mining machine operator was fatally injured when he was pinned between the cutter head of a remote controlled continuous mining machine and the coal rib. The victim was backing the continuous mining machine from the working face when the accident occurred.