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COAL MINE FATALITY - On Friday February 17, 2006, at approximately 9:30 pm, a 35-year old roof bolting machine operator with five years mining experience was fatally injured while operating a diesel-powered locomotive during a longwall move. The locomotive was idling and crept forward toward a parked lowboy rail car that was loaded with a longwall shield. The victim was crushed between the locomotive and the tip of the longwall shield, which projected past the end of the lowboy.

Photo of Accident Scene Described in Paragraph Above

Best Practices
  • Ensure that shields or other materials loaded for transport do not project into roadways or beyond the haulage equipment and are secured to prevent tipping or falling.
  • Place an empty rail car adjacent to overhanging loads or an appropriate draw bar between the locomotive and the load.
  • Require trip lights when a tail motor is not used.
  • Provide protective cabs, canopies, or vertical intrusion shielding pipes on mobile equipment where clearance permits.
  • Always look in the direction of movement, exercise caution when approaching parked equipment and set the automatic and manual braking systems when the locomotive is stopped.
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 21st fatality reported during calendar year 2006 in the coal mining industry. As of this date in 2005, there was one fatality reported in coal mining. This is the second fatality classified as Powered Haulage in 2006. There were no fatalities in this category at this time in 2005.

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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