UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
MINE SAFETY and HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
District 7
Accident Investigation Report
(Surface Coal Mine)
Fatal Slip/Fall of Person Accident
Hance Seam Mine(ID: 15-17792)
C.T.&L. Coal Company
Hulen, Bell County, Kentucky
September 6, 2000
by
Arthur V. Smith
CMS&H Inspector (Surface)
Originating Office - Mine Safety & Health Administration
Coal Mine Safety and Health
HC 66, Box 1699, Barbourville, KY 40906
Joseph W. Pavlovich, District Manager
OVERVIEW
On September 23, 2000, Leroy Lawson, a 56 year old bulldozer operator with 37 total years of mining experience, died as a result of injuries sustained in an earlier slip/fall accident.
The accident occurred at approximately 8:30 a.m., on Wednesday, September 6, 2000, at
the 001 Pit of the C.T.&L. Coal Company's Hance Seam Mine, located near Hulen, Bell
County, Kentucky. Lawson received injuries to his cervical spine after he fell from the
running board of a Model D-355-3 Komatsu bulldozer. Immediately following the
accident, Lawson was transported to the Harlan Appalachian Hospital and subsequently to
the University of Kentucky Hospital, where he was treated for his injuries. He was released
on September 10, 2000, and returned to his home.
Lawson's condition began to deteriorate on September 23, 2000, while at home. He was
again transported by ambulance to the Harlan Appalachian Regional Hospital where he
succumbed to complications resulting from his earlier injuries and was pronounced dead at
3:48 p.m. the same day.
The victim slipped/fell from the running board of the bulldozer after exiting the operator's
compartment. According to his own statement, obtained earlier by representatives of the
Kentucky Department of Mines and Minerals (KDMM), he lost his balance before the fall.
GENERAL INFORMATION
The Hance Seam Mine, located at Hulen, Bell County, Kentucky, is operated by the
C.T.&L. Coal Company. The mine employs ten persons and is operated utilizing surface
contour methods and augering. The Hance Coal Seam is mined, which underlies the
surface in three separate layers, totaling 84 inches in thickness. Overburden is removed
utilizing front end loaders which load the excavated material onto Euclid rock trucks,
which then haul the material to reclamation areas. Bulldozers assist in both the mining
and reclamation processes.
The mine produces 175 tons of coal, one shift per day, from one open pit and one coal
auger 6 days per week. There is no separate maintenance shift, maintenance being done
during the production shift. Coal is loaded onto trucks with a front end loader and
transported from the mine.
The Principal Officers of the operation are as follows:
Robert G. Hunley .......... Owner
Larry Spade .......... Foreman
The last Mine Safety and Health (MSHA) regular safety and health inspection (AAA) was
completed on June 5, 2000.
DESCRIPTION OF ACCIDENT
The day shift began at 7:00 am, as scheduled, on September 6, 2000. After arriving at the
mine, each miner examined his/her respective equipment and began normal operations.
Operations that morning primarily centered on hauling spoil material from the pit and
redistributing it along the haul road, in order to raise the haul road's surface.
Leroy Lawson, victim, was operating a D355-3 Komatsu bulldozer along the haul road and
was engaged in spreading the material dumped by the trucks. During that period, coal
became available for loading, which required the use of the front end loader which had
been supplying material to the rock trucks. This resulted in Lawson's bulldozer becoming
temporarily idle due to a lack of material. While Lawson waited in his operator's
compartment, Shawn Taylor, water truck driver, parked his vehicle near the rear of
Lawson's bulldozer, dismounted and walked over to speak with him.
According to Taylor, Lawson stepped backwards out of the operator's compartment and
onto the running board to speak with him. As Lawson turned toward Taylor, he lost his
balance, and fell, head-first, to the ground, striking his head. Taylor stated that as he saw
Lawson falling, he reached out in an attempt to catch him, but failed. Observing Lawson's
injury, Taylor immediately summoned help via the CB radio located in the bulldozer.
Foreman Larry Spade, also an EMT, immediately responded to Taylor's call, bringing first
aid equipment with him. According to their statements, Lawson was responsive and both
Spade and Taylor spoke with him. Spade next placed a neck brace on Lawson and
transported him to Harlan Appalachian Regional Hospital, located in nearby Harlan,
Kentucky. At the hospital, Lawson was provided with a superior neck brace and was
subsequently flown by helicopter to the University of Kentucky Medical Center (UKMC),
in Lexington, Kentucky where he was reportedly treated for a fractured cervical spine. On
September 10, 2000, Lawson was released from UKMC and returned to his home. While at
home, on September 22, 2000, Lawson was interviewed by Investigators Jim Owens and
Davin Hoskins of the Kentucky Department of Mines and Minerals. Owens and Hoskins
reported to MSHA investigators that Lawson seemed well and was both alert and mobile
during his interview.
On September 23, 2000, Lawson's condition began to deteriorate rapidly. Once again, he
was transported by ambulance to Harlan Appalachian Regional Hospital. Lawson
succumbed to complications resulting from his earlier injuries and was pronounced dead at
3:48 p.m.
INVESTIGATION OF THE ACCIDENT
An initial investigation of the accident was conducted on September 7, 2000, by Roger
Dingess, Coal Mine Inspector(CMI), and Jim Langley, Supervisory Coal Mine Inspector
(SCMI), both of MSHA's Barbourville, Kentucky office. Preliminary information was
gathered and the accident scene inspected.
On September 25, 2000, MSHA's Barbourville Office, was notified of Lawson's death by
Larry Spade, Mine Foreman. An Accident Investigation Team, consisting of Arthur V.
Smith, CMI and Accident Investigator of the Barborville office, and Daniel L. Johnson,
SCMI, of the Harlan office, was dispatched to the mine to reopen the investigation.
KDMM was also notified and a joint investigation was conducted with the assistance of
mine management and employees. Formal interviews were conducted with Foreman Larry
Spade and with eye witness, Shawn Taylor, water truck driver. Neither of the two stated
that they desired to make a confidential statement.
As earlier reported, KDMM Investigators, Jim Owens and Davin Hoskins had interviewed
the victim at his home on September 22, 2000. According to Owens and Hoskins, the
victim stated, "I lost my balance and fell."
PHYSICAL FACTORS INVOLVED
The following physical factors were determined to be relevant to the occurrence of the accident:
1. The accident occurred on the surface of 001 Pit, C.T.&L. Coal Co., Hance Seam
Mine, MSHA ID #15-17792.
2. The victim was operating a Komatsu Model D-355-3 bulldozer.
3. The victim had been employed at this mine site for only two days. He began
employment on September 4, 2000.
4. Measurements taken indicated that the vertical distance from the running board of the bulldozer to the ground was 72 inches.
5. There was no rain or heavy dew on the day of the accident so as to cause the equipment's surfaces to be wet.
6. The Komatsu Model D-355-3 bulldozer was provided with handrails. The running board's surface was found to be free of defects.
CONCLUSION
The victim slipped/fell from the running board of the Komatsu Model D-355-3 bulldozer
after he exited the operator's compartment. According to his own statement, obtained by
state investigators on September 22, 2000, he lost his balance before the fall.
ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS
No violations, determined to be contributory to the accident, were found during the course
of the investigation.
A non-contributory violation was observed, and a citation issued, during MSHA's initial
investigation of the accident on September 7, 2000. No training records were available for
inspection at the mine site, to indicate whether Lawson had received the requisite newly-
employed experienced miner training. This citation was not considered to be contributory
to this accident because the records were made available at a later date and revealed that
Lawson, had, in fact, received the required training.
Related Fatal Alert Bulletin:
FAB00C28
APPENDIX A
List of Persons Providing Information And/or Present During the Investigation:
C.T.& L Coal Company Officials
Larry Spade .......... Foreman
C.T.& L Coal Company Employees
Shawn Taylor .......... Laborer - Water Truck Driver
Kentucky Department of Mines and Minerals
Jim Owens .......... Safety Analyst/Investigator
Davin Hoskins .......... Safety Analyst/Investigator
David Disney .......... Supervisor
Mine Safety and Health Administration
Roger Dingess .......... Coal Mine Inspector
Jim Langley .......... Supervisory CMI
Dan Johnson .......... Supervisory CMI
Arthur V. Smith .......... Coal Mine Inspector (Surface)
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