COAL MINE FATALITY - On Sunday, September 17, 2000, a 57 year old co-owner of a salvage company, with 6 years mining experience, was fatally injured when he was struck by falling material, while operating a forklift in a warehouse. The victim was moving pallets of heavy equipment parts, which his company had purchased from a mine which had ceased operation. The forklift backed into and dislodged a pallet of heavy equipment parts from an overhead storage rack. As the pallet fell, a clutch plate slipped off the pallet striking the victim.

• Examine your work area for adequate clearance.
  
  
• Understand and follow the safe operating procedures for your equipment.
  
  
• Operate equipment from under the Falling Object Protective Structure (FOPS).
  
  
• Pallets of material on overhead storage racks must be secured to prevent them from shifting and falling.

	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 26^th fatality reported in calendar year 2000 in the coal mining industry. As of this date in 1999, there were 26 fatalities. This is the 8^th accident classified as powered haulage reported in the mining industry in 2000. As of this date in 1999, there were 4 accidents classified as powered haulage.

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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:
MSHA's Fatal Accident Investigation Report