On Jan. 22, 2021, a 38 year old* shuttle car operator with 11 years of mining experience at an underground mine with 57 employees* was in the operator’s compartment of his shuttle car, traveling through the last open crosscut, when a second shuttle car traveled through a ventilation curtain and struck his shuttle car. The corner of the second shuttle car entered the operator’s deck of the victim’s shuttle car. The operator was injured and passed away from the injuries on Feb. 21, 2021.
Best Practices:
- Install and maintain proximity detection systems on mobile section equipment.
- Communicate your presence and intended movements. Wait until miners acknowledge your message before moving your equipment.
- Do not tram equipment through ventilation curtains. Tram only through fly pads in designated haulage routes.
- Use clear curtains for fly pads and ventilation controls on working sections.
- STOP and SOUND an audible warning device before tramming equipment through fly pads. Ensure directional lights are on when operating mobile equipment.
- Avoid areas where equipment operators cannot readily see you.
- Wear personal strobe light devices to increase visibility.
Additional Information:
This is the tenth fatality reported in 2021, and the sixth classified as “Powered Haulage.” (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)
Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf) Final Report (pdf).