On March 14, the victim and another roof bolter operator were in the process of tramming the roof-bolting machine in the outby direction in the no. 3 entry on the no. 1 longwall tailgate.
They had trammed the roof bolting machine from the 151 crosscut to approximately the 89.5 crosscut when the accident occurred.
The MSHA has advised miners to:
- Ensure everyone, including the equipment operator, is outside the machine-turning radius before starting or moving equipment
- Walk behind moving mobile equipment when travelling in the same entry and maintain a safe distance between a person and any equipment that is moving
- Never position themselves in an area or location where equipment operators cannot readily see someone
- Develop policies and procedures for starting and tramming self-propelled equipment. Train all miners who would be exposed to the hazards
- Use low tram speed when moving self-propelled machines where the left and right traction drives are operated independently
- Never override any of the machine controls. Ensure that all operating devices function as designed
- Install and maintain proximity detection systems to protect personnel and eliminate accidents of this type. See the proximity detection single source page on the MSHA website.
The fatality was the sixth reported for 2014 in the coal mining industry and was classified under machinery.
In the corresponding period of 2013, eight fatalities had been reported in the US coal industry.
