• Never work or travel inby supported roof.


• Always know and follow your approved roof control plan which may have specialized provisions for certain bolting patterns.


• Always examine the roof, face and ribs immediately before any work is started and periodically as conditions warrant.

	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 5^th fatal accident reported in calendar year 2002 for the coal mining industry. As of this date in 2001, there was one fatality reported for the coal mining industry. This is the second fatal accident classified as a roof fall accident in 2002. At this time in 2001, there were no fatal accidents classified as roof fall accidents for 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