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COAL MINE FATALITY - On Monday, February 18, 2008, a 51-year old outside service technician (contractor) with one year of experience was fatally injured while placing concrete barriers along a mine access road. A rubber-tired boom truck was being used to move the concrete barriers into place. The victim was electrocuted while standing on the ground, touching a suspended concrete barrier, when the boom came in contact with an energized 14,500 volt overhead power wire. The operator of the boom truck was treated and released.

Photo of Accident Scene Described in the Paragraph Above Photo of Accident Scene Described in the Paragraph Above


Best Practices
  • Ensure that booms or masts of equipment are not operated within 10 feet of any energized overhead powerline.
  • Identify hazards associated with tasks prior to work assignments.
  • Ensure that one person on the ground is designated to give signals to the crane operator and watch placement and proximity of the mast.
  • Use non-conducting tag lines to steady loads when operating cranes where overhead power lines are present.
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 fourth fatality reported in calendar year 2008 in the coal mining industry. As of this date in 2007, there were three fatalities reported in the coal mining industry. This is the first Electrical fatality in 2008. At this time in 2007, there were no fatalities in this classification.

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 - Not Available Yet



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