COAL MINE FATALITY - On Monday, September 9, 1996,
an electrician was repairing a cable conduit on the right side of a
roof bolting machine on an active working section. The roof bolting
machine was parked in the last open crosscut and the electrician was
sitting on the mine floor with his back to the coal rib. A 14-foot
long, 25-inch wide, 13-inch thick portion of the rib, comprised of
rock and coal, fell onto the electrician crushing him against the
roof bolting machine. The entry height at the accident site was 84
inches. The working section was experiencing problems with excessive
pressures on the pillar blocks. Rib sloughing, loose ribs and rock
brows were observed by accident investigators. Also noted is the
working section was mining just outside the boundary of an over-laying
and abandoned mine, 180 feet above.
This is the 22nd coal mine fatality in 1996. As of September 9
of last year, there had been 28 fatalities. This death is the fifth
classified as FALL OF ROOF in 1996.
Plan View of the Accident Scene
For more information: 
MSHA's Fatal Accident Investigation Report [FTL96C22]
