The accident at Amfire Mining’s Nolo room and pillar operation occurred on July 11, when 62-year-old shift foreman William Pardee was about to tram a belt feeder back to the tail after adding beltline and lowering the trailing cable to the mine floor.

“In the process of lowering the cable, it dropped inadvertently behind the control levers holding the right tram valve in the open position,” the report noted.

“When the victim started the feeder, it pivoted abruptly, pinning him between the feeder and the mine rib.”

The agency found the cause was an inadvertent positioning of the trailing cable behind the hydraulic control levers that allowed for the right cat tram lever to be left in the open position.

When crews activated the system’s start switch, the machine pivoted, and no de-energizing methods were available at that location.

“The start switch of the belt feeder was located 63 inches away from the operator's control station, which placed the victim out of reach of the operator controls and the emergency stop switch while starting the feeder,” MSHA said in its investigation.

The organization has ordered modifications to all Nolo’s belt feeders so that stop switches and de-energizing options are easily accessible.

The operation was also required to fabricate a metal guard for placement over the hydraulic control levers so that none can be unintentionally activate in the future.

Crews have also since repositioned trailing cable away from the mine’s hydraulic control levers and rerouted cable to the inby end of the electric control box.

Nolo produces coal from the Lower Kittanning seam with a staff of 100, at a rate of 2400 tons per day on average.

Prior to the accident, Nolo’s last inspection was June 13, 2008. The mine’s non-fatal days lost (NFDL) injury incidence rate in 2007 was 6.04 compared to the national rate of 4.64.

Amfire is a subsidiary of Alpha Natural Resources.