On Nov. 23, 2020, (at a mine in Dawes, WV with 154 employees*) a (20 year old*) miner (with 1 year and 8 weeks mining experience*) was fatally injured when the battery-powered scoop he was operating ran over a section of pipe in the roadway. The four-inch plastic pipe entered the operator’s compartment and struck him.
Best Practices:
- Conduct thorough examinations of roadways and remove material that could pose a hazard to equipment operators, passengers, or other miners.
- Keep roadways free of excessive water, mud, and other conditions that reduce an equipment operator’s ability to control mobile equipment.
- Secure loads on haulage vehicles to prevent them from falling off into roadways.
- Install substantial guarding to prevent material from entering the operator compartment.
- Establish safe operating procedures for mobile equipment and a maintenance schedule for roadways.
Additional Information:
This is the 25th fatality reported in 2020, and the seventh classified as “Powered Haulage.” (* Italicized details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data)
Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).