General inside labourer and acting motorman Glen Clutter, 51, was killed on February 12 at the Loveridge No. 22 operation near Mannington – hit by a slate bar as he attempted to re-rail a supply car.
According to a final investigation report released by the US Mine Safety and Health Administration, the 31-year mining veteran was working with general inside labourer Scott Shay on the first of four cars that had derailed when it shifted, with the bar striking Clutter on the right side of his face and forehead.
MSHA found during its investigation that the mine’s track and components were not maintained to prevent a derailment. Additionally, investigators said, the operator was required to examine the remaining portions of the rail haulage on foot to record and correct deficiencies.
Officials ultimately issued a noncontributory citation to the operator for failure to conduct an adequate examination of the track.
Additionally, a review of involved miners’ annual training records found no deficiencies; however, the persons interviewed stated to MSHA that task training for operating a motor did not include instruction on the proper use of airbags when re-railing derailed cars.
“The accident was caused by the failure to assure the supply car was secured or blocked against motion before it was lifted, failure to perform adequate task training, failure to maintain the track, and failure to perform an adequate preshift examination,” investigators concluded in the report.
Specifically, it noted in the root cause portion of the report, Loveridge officials did not train supply motormen on air bag use and blocking when re-railing track mounted equipment.
To rectify the issue, the operator developed a written procedure to re-rail track mounted equipment and trained all motormen on the new procedures, including proper procedures for using air bags and blocking to re-rail track mounted equipment.
Additionally, MSHA said that the mine operator’s policies and procedures did not ensure safe work policies and procedures were followed regarding the proper use of airbags and blocking raised equipment when re-railing derailed cars.
“A notice to provide a safeguard issued to the mine operator requires each locomotive operator to block and secure raised cars,” officials said.
“Abatement of the Safeguard notice included training each locomotive operator in the requirements of the safeguard.
MSHA ordered a new plan be submitted to the mine’s district manager for its failure to maintain track to prevent a derailment between Loveridge’s No. 124 and No. 126 blocks at the Main West Haulage.
“The wire-side rail rolled out for a distance of approximately 112 feet and there were no steel ties,” the agency reported in its findings.
“The track was spiked to wooden track ties and the rail was rusted and deteriorated.”
Finally, to address the mine’s inadequate pre-shift examination of the track in the area, MSHA ordered that all pre-shift examiners be retrained on the exam requirements and on how to properly examine the track during pre-shift examinations.
The operator was issued one 314(b) safeguard and two 104(a) citations as a result of the probe.
Loveridge, located in Marion County, accesses the Pittsburgh No. 8 coal seam by three portals: the Sugar Run and the Miracle Run portals near Fairview, West Virginia, and the Metz portal near Mannington, West Virginia.
Coal is mined from the seam by four continuous mining machine sections and one longwall section. The Loveridge mine employs 601 underground employees and 91 surface employees, who produce about 18,200 tonnes per day.
A regular federal inspection of the mine was completed on December 31, 2012, and another was ongoing at the time of the accident.
The mine’s non-fatal days lost incidence rate last year was 1.44, versus the national NFDL average of 3.24.
