COAL MINE FATALITY -On Monday, March 23, 1998, a 40-year-old
section foreman, operating a scoop, removed three cribs that had been
installed along the left rib of an entry. The cribs were removed
because the continuous mining machine was going to mine-through
from the crosscut at this location. After removing the cribs, the
foreman watched the roof for over five minutes, then walked between
the scoop and the left coal rib picking up loose crib blocks and
tossing them into the scoop bucket. Suddenly, at approximately
4:40 p.m., a 58-inch long by 44-inch wide and up to 8 inches thick,
section of the roof fell from between the coal rib and left rib
pattern bolts, striking both the scoop and the foreman.
BEST PRACTICES
All work of removing roof support should be conducted
from a remote and protected location.
This is the ninth fatality reported in calendar year 1998 in
the coal mining industry. As of this date in 1997, there were
six fatalities. This is the fourth fatality classified as ROOF FALL
in 1998.
For more information:
MSHA's Fatal Accident Investigation Report [FTL98C09]