On Friday, July 27, 2012, at approximately 4:15 a.m., a 35-year-old move crew member with 5 years of mining experience received fatal crushing injuries when he was pinned between the conveyor boom of a remote controlled continuous mining machine and the outby rib of the No. 4 Right Crosscut. The continuous mining machine was moving to an adjacent entry in preparation for the oncoming day shift when the accident occurred.
Best Practices
- Ensure that all persons, including the continuous mining machine operator, are positioned outside the machine’s turning radius before starting or moving the machine.
- Maintain clear visibility and communications with all personnel in the vicinity of the equipment, and minimize the number of miners working around or near continuous mining machines.
- Frequently review, retrain, and discuss the importance of staying out of any “RED ZONE” area while operating or working near a continuous mining machine. REDZONE2 (pdf) and Continuous Miner Package
- Position the conveyor boom away from the operator or other miners working in the area when tramming or moving the machine.
- Install Proximity Detection Systems on continuous mining machines and haulage equipment to prevent these types of injuries and fatalities.
Proximity Detection Single Source Page
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf).