COAL MINE FATALITY - On Friday August 16, 1996,
a crew of miners were continuing the work of constructing an
overcast. On previous shifts, the roof of an intersection had
been drilled and blasted resulting in a twelve foot high cavity.
The blasted material was cleaned up utilizing a remote-controlled
continuous mining machine. Resupporting the cavity area was
started by the day shift utilizing a dual-boom roof bolting
machine. The evening shift crew arrived and an evening shift
roof bolting machine operator continued the installation of
conventional roof bolts. After the installation of around six
roof bolts, a portion of the brow of the cavity fell, striking
the roof bolt machine operator from behind, inflicting fatal
injuries. The ATRS on the roof bolting machine would not reach
the mine roof because of the height of the cavity nor were any
temporary supports set.
This is the 21st coal mine fatality in 1996. As of August 16
of last year, there had been 25 fatalities. This death is the fourth
classified as FALL OF ROOF in 1996.
Plan View of the Accident Site
For more information: 
MSHA's Fatal Accident Investigation Report [FTL96C21]
