Underground

Coal Fatality – 8/1/21

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On August 1, 2021, a 38 year old utility person with 12 years 41 weeks experience drowned at a mine in Huntington, UT with 122 employees* during a flash flood while traveling in a personnel carrier to go to the mine portal.  The miner exited the personnel carrier as the floodwater engulfed the vehicle.  As the miner attempted to assist other miners, he was carried away by the floodwater. 

Best Practices: 

•    Monitor flash-flood watches and warnings and other adverse weather conditions, such as severe storm events, that could affect the safety of mine personnel.  Use NOAA Weather Radio or a smartphone app to monitor hazardous weather conditions in your area.
•    Establish policies and procedures to provide adequate warning to all mine personnel of ongoing weather conditions pertaining to flash floods and other adverse weather conditions.
•    Establish policies restricting access to areas likely, or known, to be affected by flash floods or other adverse weather conditions.  Do not travel across flooded roadways.
•    Properly design drainage systems, especially in areas where the terrain enhances water runoff and flooding.  Changes in a watershed, such as timbering or surface mining, can increase water runoff and flooding.
•    Examine drainage systems and features to ensure they are functioning and unobstructed.Additional Information: 

This is the 22nd fatality reported in 2021, and the first classified as “Inundation.” (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).

MNM Fatality – 7/13/21

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On July 13, 2021, a rock falling from a pillar in a benched area at a room-and-pillar zinc mine with 88 employees in Strawberry Plains, TN, struck a 68 year old scaler operator with 10 years and 40 weeks experience*. The miner was in a personnel lift basket near ground level to load blasting supplies.  The rock fell from a height of approximately 40 feet, striking the basket. 

Best Practices: 

  • Support or remove loose material from a safe position before beginning work.
  • Design, install, and maintain the ground support to control the ground where people work or travel, after blasting, and as ground conditions warrant.
  • Use scaling equipment capable of maintaining safe ground conditions suitable for the mining dimensions.
  • Establish safe work procedures to ensure a safe work location for miners conducting scaling operations.  Train all miners to recognize hazards and understand these procedures.
  • Perform thorough workplace examinations where miners work or travel.
  • Be alert for changing conditions, especially after activities that could cause back/roof disturbance.

Additional Information: 

This is the 18th fatality reported in 2021, and the second classified as “Fall of Face/Rib/Highwall.”  (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).

MNM Fatality – 6/9/21

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On June 9, 2021, two miners, a 55 year old foreman with 24 years of experience and a 65 year old supervisor with 42 years’ experience*, were fatally injured at a mine with 1062 employees*, when a locomotive collided with the personnel carrier in which they were riding. 

Best Practices: 

  • Install lights or other engineering controls to let miners know when it is safe to travel on track haulageways.
  • Implement a communicaton system so that one person, who is not on any mobile equipment, has the sole authority to authorize travel on track haulageways.
  • Establish and maintain effective communication protocols that require identification, location and intended travel, between locomotives, light vehicles and foot traffic.
  • Train miners on proper traffic patterns and procedures.

Additional Information: 

These are the 16th and 17th fatalities reported in 2021, and the 8th and 9th classified as “Powered Haulage.”  (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).

Coal Fatality – 6/3/21

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On Thursday, June 3, 2021, a 42-year-old section foreman with 16 years 40 weeks of experience* was fatally injured when he was hit by a shuttle car at an underground mine with 115 employees.* The victim was struck when he walked into the path of a loaded shuttle car that was traveling to the dump point. 

Best Practices: 

•    Install proximity detection systems on mobile equipment to protect personnel and eliminate accidents of this type.
•    Be aware of your location in relation to movement of equipment, especially in lower seams.
•    Sound audible warnings, distinguishable from surrounding noise, and reduce speed when approaching and before traveling through check curtains.  Wear reflective clothing or strobe lights to aid visibility when working around mobile equipment.
•    Assure all personnel are clear of the traveling path and turning radius before moving equipment.
•    Train miners and equipment operators to communicate their location and wait for acknowledgement before moving.Additional Information: 

This is the fourteenth fatality reported in 2021, and the seventh fatality classified as “Powered Haulage.”  (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).

Coal Fatality – 6/2/21

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On June 2, 2021, a 26-year-old section foreman with five years of mining experience at an underground mine with 462 employees* was pinned against a continuous mining machine by a piece of rib. The piece fell while he was installing a rib bolt with the machine mounted rib drill.

Best Practices: 

  • Support loose roof and rib material adequately or scale loose material from a safe location before working or traveling in an area.
  • Examine the roof, face and ribs immediately before starting work in an area and throughout the shift as conditions warrant.
  • Take additional safety precautions when mining heights increase and in areas where mine conditions change.
  • Train miners to recognize roof and rib hazards and to stop work in the area until the hazards are corrected.

Additional Information: 

This is the 13th fatality reported in 2021, and the first classified as “Fall of Face, Rib, Side or Highwall” (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).

MNM Fatality – 5/18/21

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On May 18, 2021, a telehandler at an underground mine with 113 employees and 7 contract employees* was towing a trailer with a diesel pump onboard up an inclined underground roadway when the tow hitch suddenly broke. The trailer rolled down the roadway, striking and fatally injuring a 35 year old* contract laborer with 1 year experience*.

Best Practices: 

  • Use towing hardware (hitches, tow bars, receivers, couplers, pins, pintles, safety chains/cables, etc.) which is properly designed and rated. Before each use, examine towing hardware for wear, cracks and other damage. 
  • Never exceed the recommended maximum towing capacity of a tow vehicle or trailer. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations and only use equipment designed for towing.
  • Always use properly sized safety chains in conjunction with hitches. Safety chains keep the trailer connected to the tow vehicle in case the other tow hardware fails.
  • Never position yourself directly behind equipment being towed uphill.
  • Establish procedures for safe and proper towing. Train miners to follow these procedures and identify hazards associated with towing.

Additional Information: 

This is the 12th fatality reported in 2021, and the third classified as “Machinery.” (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), final report (pdf).

Coal Fatality – 5/14/21

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On May 14, 2021, a 32 year old* continuous mining machine operator with 11 years experience* was fatally injured when a piece of rock fell from the roof and struck him at an underground coal mine with 17 employees*. The victim was working under unsupported roof in the Number 1 entry.

Best Practices: 

  • Never work or travel under unsupported roof.  
  • Thoroughly examine the roof, face and ribs where people will be working and traveling, including sound and vibration testing.
  • Scale loose roof and ribs from a safe location. Prevent access to unsupported and hazardous areas until appropriate corrective measures can be taken.
  • Follow the approved roof control plan and provide additional support when cracks or other abnormalities are detected. Never exceed the maximum cut depth specified in the approved roof control plan.
  • Mark the second to last row of bolts with reflective material and train miners not to travel inby this location.
  • Train miners to identify hazards from the roof, face and ribs.

Additional Information: 

This is the 11th fatality reported in 2021, and the first classified as “Fall of Roof or Back.” (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).

Coal Fatality – 1/22/21

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On Jan. 22, 2021, a 38 year old* shuttle car operator with 11 years of mining experience at an underground mine with 57 employees* was in the operator’s compartment of his shuttle car, traveling through the last open crosscut, when a second shuttle car traveled through a ventilation curtain and struck his shuttle car. The corner of the second shuttle car entered the operator’s deck of the victim’s shuttle car. The operator was injured and passed away from the injuries on Feb. 21, 2021.

Best Practices: 

  • Install and maintain proximity detection systems on mobile section equipment.
  • Communicate your presence and intended movements.  Wait until miners acknowledge your message before moving your equipment.
  • Do not tram equipment through ventilation curtains.  Tram only through fly pads in designated haulage routes.
  • Use clear curtains for fly pads and ventilation controls on working sections.
  • STOP and SOUND an audible warning device before tramming equipment through fly pads.  Ensure directional lights are on when operating mobile equipment.
  • Avoid areas where equipment operators cannot readily see you.
  • Wear personal strobe light devices to increase visibility.

Additional Information: 

This is the tenth fatality reported in 2021, and the sixth classified as “Powered Haulage.” (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf) Final Report (pdf).

MNM Fatality – 2/22/21

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On Feb. 22, 2021, a 26-year-old underground chute puller was fatally injured as a passenger of a rail-mounted locomotive when he was crushed between the deck of the locomotive and an overhead chute at a lead-zinc ore underground mine with 114 employees in Strawberry Plains, TN*.

Best Practices: 

  • Install controls such as rail stops at loading points, crossings, etc., where track equipment must stop. 
  • Install reflective signs or warning lights well in advance of low clearance areas to alert miners of the upcoming hazard.
  • Develop safe working procedures to avoid low clearance and pinch point areas.  Monitor workers to ensure these procedures are followed.
  • Always look in the direction the equipment is moving in, and keep all body parts within the operator’s compartment while a vehicle is moving.
  • Conduct proper travelway examinations to identify and mitigate the hazards presented by low clearances. 
  • Train all workers to recognize potential hazards and understand safe job procedures and tasks to eliminate hazards before beginning work.

Additional Information: 

This is the 4th fatality reported in 2021, and the third classified as “Powered Haulage.” *(details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data)

Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), final report (pdf).

MNM Fatalities (2) – 12/14/20

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On December 14, 2020, two miners (age 27 & 41 with 22 weeks & 27 weeks experience*) died when a back failure occurred in a large four-way intersection (at a mine in Avery Island, LA with 200 employees*). The miners were pumping sealing grout in the intersection when blocks of salt and anhydrite fell from beneath a slickenside onto the miners.

Best Practices: 

  • In areas of excessive span or adverse geology:
    • Install supplemental ground support to control strata movement.
    • Install sag monitors or extensometers to detect ground movement or strata separation.
    • Drill and evaluate test holes for strata separation using a borescope or scratch test.
  • Use geologic hazard mapping to identify adverse conditions.
  • Be alert to any change of ground conditions.
  • Report hazardous or abnormal conditions.
  • Perform thorough workplace examinations where miners work or travel.
  • Identify and scale hazardous ground conditions from a safe location.
  • Train miners to recognize hazards and follow safe work practices, especially before they perform new tasks.

Additional Information: 

These are the 27th and 28th fatalities reported in 2020, and the second and third classified as “Fall of Roof or Back.” (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data)

Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).