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COAL MINE FATALITY - On September 23, 2009, a 38 year old contractor miner/driller with 10 years of experience was fatally injured while working at a shaft construction project. The victim and four other employees were located on the top deck of a 2-deck work platform that was suspended in the shaft. He was not wearing fall protection and fell through an opening in the center of the top deck of the work platform to the bottom of the shaft 38 feet below.

Photo of Accident Scene Described in the Paragraph Above


Best Practices
  • Always wear, and use, suitable fall protection when positioned or working where fall hazards exist.
  • Assure that fall protection systems for multiple workers allow for independent movement.
  • Establish work procedures to eliminate creating openings through which persons may fall.
  • Stop, Look, Analyze and Manage the hazards associated with each work task.
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 twelfth fatality reported in calendar year 2009 in the coal mining industry. As of this date in 2008, there were 22 fatalities reported in the coal mining industry. This is the second "Slip/Fall of Person" fatality in 2009. At this time in 2008, there was one fatality 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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