Bruce Makin, 50, a contract surveyor with seven years of experience working February 25 at Amfire Mining’s Nolo operation in Indiana County, was run over by a shuttle car that was hauling coal to the belt feeder.

“The accident occurred because management policy and procedures were inadequate and failed to ensure that direct communications were established and maintained between section workers and contract surveyors,” the agency said.

“The mining crew and surveyors were not fully aware of the intended activities of each other.

“The operator's policies and procedures were inadequate and failed to ensure the safety of all persons working in the same area.”

MSHA found one root cause, the operator’s failure to establish a direct communication policy that would have detailed both the survey crew’s activity and projected mining activities by the crew on the active section for the other party.

To correct the shortfall, policy and procedures that address surveyor training and training certification on such issues as haulage travel ways, cable hazards, ventilation, communications and visual obstructions have been developed by the mining company.

Nolo is a 97-worker room and pillar operation extracting from the Lower Kittanning seam under an average height of 48in. It works two production shifts and one maintenance shift five to six days per week with three continuous mining sections.

Prior to the accident, MSHA had completed its last regular safety and health inspection on December 14, 2007, and its one scheduled for January was underway at the time. The mine’s non-fatal days lost injury incidence rate in 2007 was 6.04 (versus the national rate of 4.64).