Accident Report: Fatality Reference
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fab11c08.pdf
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COAL MINE FATALITY -- On Monday, June 27, 2011, a 33 year old miner was killed when a portion of coal and rock fell from the upper portion of a pillar rib. The material that fell was approximately 8 feet long, by 32 inches thick, by 3 feet high.
Best Practices
- Conduct a thorough visual examination of the roof, face, and ribs immediately before any work or travel is started in an area and thereafter as conditions warrant.
- Perform careful examinations of pillar corners, particularly where the angles are formed between entries and crosscuts are less than 90 degrees.
- Support any loose rib or roof material adequately or scale before beginning work.
- Take additional safety precautions when mining heights increase to prevent development of rib hazards.
- In areas prone to deterioration, install rib support when the area is mined initially.
- Be alert to changing geologic conditions which may affect roof/rib conditions.
Additional Information
This is the seventh fatality reported during calendar year 2011 in the coal mining industry. This is the first fatality classified as a Fall of Face / Rib accident in 2011. Thirty-nine coal mine fatalities occurred in 2010 within the same period. Two Fall of Face / Rib fatalities occurred during the same period in 2010.