COAL MINE FATALITY - On Monday, August 14, 2000, a 36 year-old machine operator, with 17 years experience, was fatally injured while he was helping move a shuttle car to a new location. The victim and another machine operator were moving the off-standard shuttle car down the No. 5 entry to a location at the section dumping point to anchor the shuttle car trailing cable. The victim was walking in front of the shuttle car on the cable-reel side. As the shuttle car was being trammed over a hump in the mine floor, the shuttle-car canopy came into contact with the mine roof, stopping the shuttle car. The operator had lost visual contact with the victim while he was trying to free the shuttle car. He had the shuttle car in forward tram and it suddenly broke free of the mine roof and moved against the rib line, crushing the victim between the cable-reel guide and the coal rib.

Best Practices

Before moving equipment, miners should make a visual check and sound audible alarm to make sure all persons are clear of the equipment.

All persons helping operators move mobile equipment should be positioned a safe distance from equipment while it is in motion.

	Submit your own suggestion for a remedy to prevent this type of accident in the future. Please specify if you wish your submission to be anonymous or whether your name may be used. Please include the year of the fatality and the fatality number.

This is the 20th fatality reported in calendar year 2000 in the coal mining industry. As of this date in 1999, there were 24 fatalities. This is the second underground powered haulage type of fatal accident reported in the mining industry in 2000. Including surface, this brings the total to seven powered haulage fatal accidents in 2000. In 1999 there were a total of six powered haulage accidents for underground and surface mines.

MSHA's Fatal Accident Investigation Report