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COAL MINE FATALITY - On March 22, 2002, a 33 year old section foreman was fatally injured when he was caught between the conveyor boom of a continuous mining machine and the coal rib. The victim was using a remote control unit to tram the machine when he was struck by the end of the conveyor boom.

Photo of Accident Scene

Best Practices

  • Continuous mining machine operators should never be located between the machine and the coal rib while the machine is being trammed from place to place by remote control.
  • When moving continuous mining machines around corners, or in other instances where the left and right traction drives are operated independently, low tram speed should be used.
  • The pump motor should be de-energized, and all machine motion stopped, when the trailing cable or water line has to be repositioned in close proximity to the continuous mining machine.
    • More Information E-mail Suggestion for Accident Prevention Program 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 9th fatal accident, reported in calendar year 2002, in the coal mining industry. As of this date in 2001, there were four fatalities reported in the coal mining industry. This is the first fatal accident, classified as machinery, reported in the coal mining industry in 2002. At this time in 2001, there were no fatal accidents, classified as machinery in the coal mining industry.


    The information provided in this notice is based on preliminary data ONLY and does not represent final determinations regarding the nature of the incident or conclusions regarding the cause of the fatality.



    For more information:
    Fatal Alert Bulletin Icon MSHA's Fatal Accident Investigation Report