UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
District 8
REPORT OF INVESTIGATION
(Underground Coal Mine)
FATAL FALL OF RIB
Galatia MineNo. 56-1 (I.D. 11-02752
Kerr-McGee Coal Corporation
Harrisburg, Saline County, Illinois
March 23, 1997
by
Michael D. Rennie
Coal Mine Safety and Health Inspector
and
Gale N. Warren
Coal Mine Safety and Health Inspector
Originating Office - Mine Safety and Health Administration
Post Office Box 418, Busseron Street, Vincennes, Indiana 47591
James K. Oakes, District Manager
GENERAL INFORMATION
The Galatia Mine No. 56-1, located approximately 10 miles west of
Harrisburg, Saline County, Illinois, is operated by the Kerr-McGee Coal Corporation, a subsidiary of Kerr-McGee Corporation.
The mine employs a total of 495 miners, with 159 employees
located on the surface. The mine is opened into the Harrisburg
No. 5 Coal Seam by two shafts and one slope. The mine produces
an average of 18,415 tons of coal per day from four continuous
miner sections and two longwall working sections. Coal is
removed from the mine by diesel ramcars and longwall face
conveyors, which discharge onto a series of conveyor belts to the
slope bottom. The coal is then conveyed to the surface by the
slope belt to the raw coal silos, and conveyed to the preparation
plant for processing. Kerr-McGee then ships the processed coal
by rail to its customers.
The overburden is a maximum of 750 feet at the Galatia North
Portal. The immediate roof consists of approximately 70 feet of
Dykersburg shale. Chain pillars for the longwall panels are
driven on maximum of 125 x 125-foot centers to a minimum of 100 x
100-foot centers. The three heading longwall development entries
and crosscuts are driven 20 feet wide and the roof is supported
with six-foot long, double lock roof bolts on 5-foot spacings.
Additional supports are placed in the headgate (belt entry),
these are three-piece truss systems placed on 4 to 4.5-foot
spacings. The angle bolts are installed on development and the
cross members are installed 100 feet outby the longwall face as
it is being retreated. Wooden cribs are installed according to
the Approved Roof Control Plan, parallel to the belt entry and
across the opening of the crosscuts as the panel is mined.
Additional cribs are placed on the corners of chain pillars
nearest the belt entry.
Principal officials of Galatia No. 56-1 mine at the time of the
accident were:
Steve Rowland..................................General Manager
Larry W. Wilson...............................General Underground Superintendent
R. Michael Davey..............................Mine Superintendent
Harold E. Odle..................................Manager Health and Safety
The last MSHA Safety and Health Inspection (AAA) was completed on
February 1, 1997. The current MSHA Safety and Health inspection
(AAA) began on February 3, 1997, and was ongoing at the time of
the accident.
DESCRIPTION OF ACCIDENT
On March 23, 1997, at approximately 7:00 a.m., the "B" crew,
twelve-hour shift began their work duties. The crew under the
supervision of Robert Huff, Longwall Foreman, traveled to the
Galatia North 6th East Longwall Working Section to prepare for
the day's activities of operating the longwall. After arriving
at the working section, Huff assigned the work tasks for the day.
Stephanie Renee Counsil (victim) was assigned the regular job
task of longwall stage loader operator, and to assist James R.
Henshaw, a classified general inside laborer, in building wooden
cribs around the stage loader area. The other workers were
assigned regular job duties along the longwall working face.
Huff walked and examined along the longwall face to the tailgate
area, and then called Counsil to start the stage loader and
panline.
At approximately 8:20 a.m., Larry J. Wilson, Preshift Examiner,
drove a mantrip into the unit to pick up Bill Hughs, Preshift
Examiner, who was walking the 6th East belt conveyor. Wilson
stated that he observed Counsil and Henshaw breaking a chunk of
coal at the stage loader, and then throwing the coal in the stage
loader. At that time, Counsil stated she was hot and wiped her
brow. A short time later, Wilson met up with Hughs, left the
unit and did not have any further contact until they were told to
bring the ambulance to the Galatia North 6th East Longwall
Section.
Henshaw, who was assigned to install cribs and work with Counsil,
stated that Counsil used her channel lock pliers to help break a
steel band on a bundle of crib material in the crosscut. They
began building a crib just inby the master controller, in the 6th
East Headgate Entry at the crosscut at Survey Station 1475 East.
Henshaw stated that while he was retrieving more crib material
from the crosscut, Counsil walked out of the crosscut toward the
stage loader, but he did not know which way she had turned. A
short time later, Henshaw noticed that the stage loader had
stopped and he went to investigate. Upon reaching the stage
loader, Henshaw looked toward the face area, noticed nothing
wrong and tried to reset the emulsion computer. When the
emulsion computer would not reset, Henshaw looked outby along the
North side of the master controller and saw Counsil covered by a
collapsed coal and rock rib. He immediately climbed on top of
the controller and could see only part of the victim's head, hard
hat, and left hand. Henshaw was unable to get a response from
Counsil, and called for help from the people on the longwall
face.
Mike Jeter, Longwall Shield Operator, was the first to arrive and
immediately saw the seriousness of the situation. The rest of
the crew, consisting of Les Sturgill, Edgar Bledsoe, Alan Harris,
Longwall Shearer Operators, Fred Plumlee, Longwall Repairman, and
Robert Huff arrived a short time later and began recovery
operations. Huff instructed Henshaw to retrieve the stretcher
and first aid supplies, and sent Plumlee to call for an ambulance
and alert the mine manager and mine control of the serious
accident. The crew continued extrication procedures by breaking
the massive rock with sledgehammers and using a come-a-long to
pull a portion of the rock away from the victim. Huff stated
that he attempted to give mouth to mouth resuscitation, but was
unable to reach the victim due to the amount of material on her
body and the close proximity of the controller. He tried on
several occasions to find a pulse, but could find no signs of
life. Huff stated that after the rock was removed from Counsil,
she still could not be moved due to being covered from the waist
down by more material. After approximately 30 minutes, Counsil
was uncovered, removed and placed on a stretcher. Because of the
extent of her injuries, the victim was covered and placed on the
unit mantrip for the ride out of the mine. William Penrod, Mine
Manager, who had been alerted of the accident, met the mantrip
five crosscuts from the accident scene. Penrod, an Emergency
Medical Technician, immediately got onto the mantrip and began
assessing the extent of Counsil's injuries. Penrod stated that
he continued to check for vital signs all the way out of the
mine, even stopping the mantrip on two occasions to check for
faint signs of life, with none being detected.
After arriving at the surface of the Galatia North Shaft, the
Saline County Ambulance Service Advanced Life Support Unit took
over care. Mark Elder, Paramedic, and Bill Culkin, Emergency
Medical Technician, immediately began assessing the situation.
Elder stated that as soon as he saw the type of injury to the
victim, he decided it would be best to treat the victim while en
route to the hospital. While en route, Paramedic Doris Holzinger
met the ambulance at the junction of State Route 34 and Raleigh,
Illinois, and care and transportation were resumed. Life support
monitors were used and medicines were administered during
transportation to the hospital. After arriving at the Harrisburg
Hospital, the attending physician, Dr. Alexander, pronounced
Counsil dead and then contacted the coroner.
PHYSICAL FACTORS
The investigation revealed the following factors relevant to the
occurrence:
- The Galatia North 6th East Longwall Section was retreat
mining at the time of the accident.
- The coal seam averages 8 feet in height in the Galatia North
area.
- The belt entry mine floor had been graded approximately one
foot lower than the surrounding area to aid in leveling the
belt conveyor.
- The mine roof in the accident area (Headgate Belt Entry) was
supported with 6-foot double lock roof bolts, and fully
truss bolted with 3/4-inch truss bolts on 4 to 4 1/2-foot
centers.
- Prior to the accident, the longwall section was forced to
slow down because the longwall was mining up a hill. This
would cause additional pressure to be applied to the
equipment from the uneven coal seam.
- Some rib spalling and rashing were present, but although
additional support was installed, no unusual conditions were
observed. The closer the abutment pressures are to the
longwall face, the greater the spalling.
- Examinations by unit personnel and by examiners did not
detect any unusual conditions in the ribs. However, because
loads cannot transfer through the void of the crosscut, the
existence of a crosscut near the accident area increased the
pressures on the blocks and their ribs.
- The victim had a total of eleven years mining experience,
all at this mine.
- The victim was classified as a Miner 1 (a skilled employee)
and was assigned as the longwall stage loader operator.
- The victim and one other worker were performing routine work
in and around the stage loader, and were building a wooden
crib just inby the accident scene.
- The victim was working on the "B" crews' twelve-hour crew,
supervised by William Penrod, Mine Manager, and Robert Huff,
Longwall Foreman.
CONCLUSION
The accident occurred because the ribs in the area where the
stage loader operator works around the 6th East Longwall Stage
Loader were not supported or otherwise controlled to protect the
stage loader operator. A rib collapsed, crushing the stage
loader operator against the longwall stage loader master
controller.
ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS
- A 103(k) Order No. 3840476 was issued on March 23, 1997, to
ensure the safety of all workers on the Galatia North 6th
East Longwall working section.
- A 104 (a) Citation No. 4269532 was issued for a violation of
30 CFR Section 75.202(a). The roof, face, and ribs of areas
where persons work or travel will be supported or otherwise
controlled to protect persons from the hazards related to
falls of the roof, face or ribs, and coal or rock bursts.
Respectfully submitted by:
Gale N. Warren
Coal Mine Safety and Health Inspector
Michael D. Rennie
Coal Mine Safety and Health Inspector
Approved by:
David L. Whitcomb
Subdistrict Manager
James K. Oakes
District Manager
Related Fatal Alert Bulletin:
 FAB97C06
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