• Safety belts and lines should be worn to secure persons at any location where a hazard of fall may exist.


• Protect and guard all openings through which persons may fall.


• Keep work areas clear of all extraneous materials and other stumbling or slipping hazards.

	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 40^th fatal accident, reported in calendar year 2001, in the coal mining industry. As of this date in 2000, there were 33 fatalities reported in the coal mining industry. This is the third fatal accident, classified as slip or fall, reported in the coal mining industry in 2001. At this time in 2000, there were two fatal accidents, classified as slip or fall, in the coal mining industry.

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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