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Fatality Reports

MSHA investigates each mining fatality and prepares the following documents to alert the mining community and prevent similar occurrences.

  • Fatality Alert - describes the accident and lists best practices that may have prevented it
  • Preliminary Report - initial report with brief description
  • Final Report - investigative findings, including root causes and enforcement actions

Some deaths on mining property are determined to be unrelated to mining activity and are not included in MSHA’s fatality statistics - See recent “non-chargeable” fatalities:
Accident Classification: Falling, Rolling, or Sliding Rock or Material of Any Kind
Location: Georgia
Mine Controller: Massoud Besharat
Mine Type: Surface
Mined Material: Dimension Granite
Accident Classification: Electrical
Location: Oregon
Mine Controller: EP Management Corporation
Mine Type: Facility
Mined Material: Misc. Nonmetallic Mnls. NEC
Accident Classification: Powered Haulage
Location: Alabama
Mine Controller: ERP Compliant Fuels, LLC
Mine Type: Underground
Mined Material: Coal (Bituminous)
Accident Classification: Machinery
Location: West Virginia
Mine Controller: Blackhawk Mining LLC
Mine Type: Underground
Mined Material: Coal (Bituminous)
Accident Classification: Powered Haulage
Location: Illinois
Mine Controller: Donald D Hastie; Robert L Hastie
Mine Type: Surface
Mined Material: Crushed, Broken Limestone NEC
Accident Classification: Powered Haulage
Location: West Virginia
Mine Controller: ERP Compliant Fuels, LLC
Mine Type: Underground
Mined Material: Coal (Bituminous)
Accident Classification: Powered Haulage
Location: Montana
Mine Controller: Westmoreland Coal Company
Mine Type: Surface
Mined Material: Coal (Bituminous)
Accident Classification: Fall of Face, Rib, Side or Highwall
Location: Kentucky
Mine Controller: Laird T Orr Jr.
Mine Type: Surface
Mined Material: Coal (Bituminous)
Accident Classification: Powered Haulage
Location: New Mexico
Mine Controller: Kayla Kersey; Dale Armstrong
Mine Type: Surface
Mined Material: Construction Sand and Gravel
Accident Classification: Falling, Rolling, or Sliding Rock or Material of Any Kind
Location: Texas
Mine Controller: Trinity Industries Inc
Mine Type: Surface
Mined Material: Construction Sand and Gravel
Accident Classification: Slip or Fall of Person
Location: West Virginia
Mine Controller: James C Justice II
Mine Type: Surface
Mined Material: Coal (Bituminous)
Accident Classification: Fall of Roof or Back
Location: West Virginia
Mine Controller: Anthony P Cline
Mine Type: Underground
Mined Material: Coal (Bituminous)
(Accident occurred on February 23, 2017 and victim died on April 6, 2017)
Accident Classification: Powered Haulage
Location: West Virginia
Mine Controller: Coronado Coal LLC
Mine Type: Facility
Mined Material: Coal (Bituminous)
(Accident occurred on February 3, 2017 and victim died on February 10, 2017)
Accident Classification: Powered Haulage
Location: Kentucky
Mine Controller: Mark E Daugherty
Mine Type: Underground
Mined Material: Coal (Bituminous)
Accident Classification: Fall of Roof or Back
Location: Iowa
Mine Controller: Mc Carthy- Bush Corp
Mine Type: Underground
Mined Material: Crushed, Broken Limestone NEC
Accident Classification: Powered Haulage
Location: Washington
Mine Controller: Kinross Gold Corp
Mine Type: Underground
Mined Material: Gold Ore
Accident Classification: Falling, Rolling, or Sliding Rock or Material of Any Kind
Location: Georgia
Mine Controller: Curt B Jamison
Mine Type: Surface
Mined Material: Construction Sand and Gravel
Accident Classification: Machinery
Location: Alabama
Mine Controller: ERP Compliant Fuels, LLC
Mine Type: Underground
Mined Material: Coal (Bituminous)
Accident Classification: Machinery
Location: Michigan
Mine Controller: Andy B McLean
Mine Type: Surface
Mined Material: Sand, Common
The Final Report will not be posted
Accident Classification: Other
Location: West Virginia
Mine Controller: Marfork Coal Company LLC
Mine Type: Underground
Mined Material: Coal (Bituminous)
Based on a review conducted by MSHA’s Chargeability Review Committee, MSHA determined that this death was unrelated to mine related work activities, mining activities, or mining equipment, and should not be charged to the mining industry. Therefore the total coal fatalities in 2016 are eight instead of nine. On September 23, 2016, a miner was fatally injured in a vehicle accident while a passenger in a coworker’s personally owned vehicle. The miner and his co-worker had concluded their shifts at the mine, changed clothes and were in the vehicle heading away from the mine. They were on the mine’s access road when the coworker lost control of the vehicle after the brakes malfunctioned; the vehicle impacted the berm and rolled over. No hazards or violations associated with the condition or maintenance of the access road were found.
Accident Classification: Machinery
Location: Virginia
Mine Controller: Doug Dalton
Mine Type: Surface
Mined Material: Crushed, Broken Limestone NEC
Accident Classification: Slip or Fall of Person
Location: Nevada
Mine Controller: John Gehret
Mine Type: Facility
Mined Material: Magnesite
Accident Classification: Powered Haulage
Location: North Carolina
Mine Controller: Heidelberg Cement AG
Mine Type: Surface
Mined Material: Crushed, Broken Granite
Accident Classification: Machinery
Location: Kentucky
Mine Controller: Cemex S A
Mine Type: Facility
Mined Material: Cement
Accident Classification: Ignition or Explosion of Gas or Dust
Location: West Virginia
Mine Controller: Alpha Natural Resources, Inc.
Mine Type: Underground
Mined Material: Coal (Bituminous)
Accident Classification: Fall of Face, Rib, Side or Highwall
Location: Tennessee
Mine Controller: Vulcan Materials Company
Mine Type: Surface
Mined Material: Crushed, Broken Limestone NEC
Accident Classification: Powered Haulage
Location: Arkansas
Mine Controller: Atlas Asphalt; White River Bituminous
Mine Type: Surface
Mined Material: Crushed, Broken Limestone NEC
Accident Classification: Machinery
Location: Illinois
Mine Controller: Robert E Murray
Mine Type: Underground
Mined Material: Coal (Bituminous)
Accident Classification: Inundation
Location: Mississippi
Mine Controller: Heyward C Green
Mine Type: Surface
Mined Material: Construction Sand and Gravel
Accident Classification: Powered Haulage
Location: West Virginia
Mine Controller: Arch Coal Inc
Mine Type: Underground
Mined Material: Coal (Bituminous)