Nineteen-year-old John Lester junior, a miner with just 15 weeks of mining experience, was killed on January 27 at Baylor Mining’s Jims Branch No. 3B operation in Wyoming County, West Virginia

He died after becoming caught between the V-shaped coal discharge guides next to the conveyor belt’s discharge roller.

Both belt conveyors were operating at the time of the incident.

“"[The] victim received fatal injuries when he became caught between the moving No. 3 conveyor belt and the metal dip pan over the No. 3 conveyor belt that connected to the No. 4 conveyor belt discharge head roller,” the agency said in its initial findings.

To help prevent similar incidents at other US operations in the future, the agency compiled best practices, including training for all employees on the danger of working or travelling around moving conveyor belts.

Mines should ensure that adequate guarding is installed at all conveyor-belt pinch-point locations and, as height allows, proper belt cross-overs and/or cross-unders at strategic locations.

Operations must also provide belt conveyor stop and start controls at locations where workers need to access both sides of the conveyor, and adequate crossing facilities – such as cross-overs and cross-unders.

Other Mine Safety and Health Administration-recommended guidelines for miners include never cross moving belt conveyors (except at suitable cross locations) and always remain aware of where new miners are located and where they intend to travel.

MSHA encourages anyone with additional prevention ideas to submit them through its website, and if they relate to a fatality including the year and fatality number.

Smith’s death was the first in 2011, and has been classified as a powered haulage fatality by the agency.