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COAL MINE FATALITY - On Monday April 10, 2000, a shuttle car operator received fatal injuries when he was crushed between the operator's cab of a shuttle car and the rib while exiting the shuttle car. Due to the location of the feeder breaker, the cab of the shuttle car the victim was operating was located within 9 inches of the rib while positioned to dump at the feeder breaker. The victim attempted to exit the operator's cab when another shuttle car struck his shuttle car and crushed the victim between the operator's cab and rib.

Fatal Alert Bulletin Drawing

Best Practices

  • All dumping points should be located so that there is sufficient clearance (at least 24 inches) between the rib and the operators compartment to allow the equipment operator to safely enter and exit the equipment.

  • Equipment operators should be instructed to ensure they have clearance when approaching the dumping point and to keep an assured clear distance between them and any other equipment.
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 ninth fatality reported in calendar year 2000 in the coal mining industry. As of this date in 1999, there were nine fatalities.

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This bulletin is part of the Mine Safety and Health Administration's (MSHA) program to alert the mining industry in a timely manner of a tragic loss of life in the mines. We encourage you to consider the above information as you make safety decisions for or recommendations to your company or constituency. 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



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