On March 8, 2015, a 45-year old assistant longwall coordinator with twelve years of experience was killed while working a longwall section. The victim was shoveling loose material between the longwall face and the pan line when a large piece of rock, 12 feet long by 5 feet wide by 1 foot thick, fell from the face and struck him.
- Conduct thorough and more frequent examinations of the roof, face, and ribs, when abnormal conditions are present. Watch for frequently changing conditions.
- Scale hazardous roof, face, or rib conditions and adequately support the areas before any work or travel is permitted. Ensure that a bar of suitable length and design is used when removing loose or unconsolidated material.
- Install longwall shield extensions to cover a portion of the face and minimize unsupported areas.
- Implement policies, programs, procedures, and controls to protect miners working in the face conveyor areas.
- Reinstruct all miners in hazard recognition, adequate support methods, and safe work practices when abnormal conditions or circumstances are present on the longwall face.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf)