On Thursday, May 18, 2017, an outby utility miner received fatal injuries when his head hit the mine roof and/or roof support. He and another miner were travelling in a trolley-powered supply locomotive when the accident occurred. While the locomotive was still in motion, the trolley pole came off the trolley wire. The victim grabbed the pole to place it back on the trolley wire. In this slightly elevated position, the victim hit his head on the mine roof and was fatally injured.
- STOP trolley-powered vehicles before placing the trolley pole back on the trolley wire.
- Mining conditions change – often abruptly. Always face the direction of travel and exercise extreme caution in low clearance areas.
- Keep all body parts within the operator’s compartment while a vehicle is in motion. Stay below the highest part of a vehicle frame or windshield, especially when travelling through low clearance areas.
- Install signs to warn miners of approaching low clearance areas and train miners to reduce speed in those areas.
- Conduct proper travelway examinations to identify and mitigate the hazards presented by low clearances.
- Properly install and maintain trolley wire and trolley poles to eliminate areas where the trolley pole is prone to coming off the trolley wire.
- Examine the trolley pole harp for excessive wear. Ensure it is properly lubricated to allow it to swivel adequately to maintain proper contact with the trolley wire.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).
On Saturday, May 6, 2017, a 62-year-old miner with 14 years of mining experience was fatally injured when the haul truck he was operating went over the highwall and fell approximately 150 feet. The victim was dumping overburden over the highwall when the accident occurred.
On March 14, 2017, an independent owner/operator truck driver, walked behind his raised end-dump trailer, while dumping his load and was engulfed by sand.
On February 23, 2017, a 62-year-old section foreman was seriously injured by falling roof rock in the No. 3 entry of the active working section. The rock fell from between roof bolts and was approximately 3 feet by 2 feet by 3 to 4 inches thick. First-aid was administered and the injured miner was transported to a medical center. Due to medical complications from the injuries he sustained, the victim died on April 6, 2017.
On Wednesday, March 30, 2017, at 2:09 am, a 33-year-old miner (auger operator/foreman) was fatally injured at a surface auger mine. The miner was struck by a rock that fell from the bottom section of the highwall while changing worn cutter-head bits located at the front of the auger machine. The rock was approximately 4 feet by 5 feet by 30 inches in size.
On February 27, 2017, a 43-year-old plant attendant, with approximately 13 years of experience, was fatally injured when he fell through a 27-inch opening in a plate press. The victim had climbed a ladder to repair a damaged plate when he fell about 19 feet onto a moving refuse belt. The victim was found in a transfer chute, approximately 55 feet down the belt from where he had fallen.
On January 25, 2017, a miner was found in an underground limestone mine after failing to exit the mine at the end of the shift. The miner was located under material that had fallen from the rib in an area of the mine that had been barricaded to prevent entry due to bad roof and rib conditions.
On February 3, 2017, a 54-year-old truck driver received hip and leg fractures when he jumped from the cab of his truck as it was overturning. The victim positioned the truck on the dump pad and began raising the bed. Material in the bed was frozen or compacted and created an uneven load. As the bed reached full extension, the truck fell over. Due to complications associated with his injuries, the victim passed away 7 days later.