The Pattiki Mine, I.D. No. 11-03058, is operated by White County Coal, LLC and is located near Carmi, White County, Illinois. The mine is accessed by two shaft openings into the Herrin No. 6 coal seam, which averages 60 inches in height. Coal is extracted by seven advancing Mechanized Mining Units (MMU's), using continuous miners. The coal is transported from the working faces by shuttle cars to belt conveyors for transport to the surface by a vertical (pocket) belt conveyor. The mine employs 303 persons, with 2 production shifts, and a maintenance shift, working 5 days a week. The mine was placed in active status on March 4, 2002, and production averages 16,000 tons of coal per day.
A regular (E01) safety and health inspection by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) was ongoing at the time of the accident. The previous regular safety and health inspection of the mine was completed September 30, 2008. The Non-Fatal Days Lost (NFDL) injury incidence rate for Pattiki Mine in 2008 was 3.86, compared to a National NFDL rate of 4.44.
The principal officers at this mine at the time of the accident were:
Dan Durham ............... General Manager
Johnny Garrett ............... Superintendent
Phillip Kittinger ............... Director, Health and Safety