Fatality #2 - January 25, 2008

On January 25, 2008, Jeffrey S. King, maintenance man, age 36, was seriously injured when he was hit on the head by a pry bar that fell from an 80-foot high elevated work platform. King was wearing a hard hat at the time of the accident and was bent over shoveling. The pry bar struck him behind the hard hat. King was hospitalized and died of his injuries later that day. 



The accident occurred because management policies and work procedures failed to ensure that the work platform was maintained in a clean condition. Spillage had accumulated on the work platform making the toe boards ineffective which allowed the pry bar to be inadvertently knocked over the edge of the platform. Additionally a miner was allowed to work in an area where there was a risk of being struck by a falling object.