COAL MINE FATALITY - On Monday, February 14, 2000, a 44 year old preparation plant operator was fatally injured at a surface coal facility. A few minutes after speaking to the victim about his intentions to secure tools to adjust a belt tail pulley, the front end loader operator proceeded to the stockpile to load coal. Approaching the pile, the cutting edge of the loader bucket struck the victim and he was scooped into the bucket with the load of coal. In the process of dumping the bucket, the front-end loader operator saw the victim fall out of the bucket and into the hopper. The front-end loader operator was unaware that the victim was in the stockpile area.

• Reflective materials on clothing should be worn when traveling on foot in areas where reduced lighting could affect personal safety.
  
  
• No person should walk or travel in areas where equipment is being operated without equipment operators being aware of their presence.

	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.

MSHA's Fatal Accident Investigation Report