On June 23, 2018, a 46-year old electrician with 10 weeks of experience was fatally injured while trying to stop runaway railcars.  The miner ran to the front of a set of moving railcars and jumped on in order to set the hand brake.  The miner then attempted to jump clear and was fatally injured when he was run over by the moving railcars.

Best Practices

• Apply a mechanical hand brake to ensure a railcar does not move when it is stopped for loading, unloading, or storage.  Use wheel chocks or derail devices for added protection against accidental movement.
• Never attempt to mount, crossover, cross under, or dismount a railcar while it is moving.
• Train personnel in the safe procedures of working with railcars.  Establish safe work procedures and ensure all personnel involved communicate clearly with each other.

Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).