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Fatality #8 - March 22, 2013

Accident Classification: Fall of Roof or Back
Location: Castle Valley Mine #4, Utah
Mine Controller: Rhino Resource Partners LP
Mine Type: Underground
Mined Material: Coal (Bituminous)
Incident Date/Time: March 22, 2013 03:05 pm
PUBLIC NOTICE

This posting serves to provide a public notice to employees of the mine, employees of the mining company(s), employees of independent contractors with any connection to the mine, persons with any connection to the mine, and any person with information regarding the cause or contributing factors of this accident. Please provide any information to Phil Gibson #(970) 620-0340 cell.

PRELIMINARY REPORT

The continuous miner operator and a continuous miner helper had started a sump on the left side of #3 entry inby #16 cross cut of the pillar being mined in the 5th left C retreat mining section, MMU 001-0. One shuttle car had been mined, between shuttle cars the second shuttle car operator found the continuous miner had been caved on. In investigating the shuttle car operator found that the miner operator and miner helper were under a slab of roof rock that had fallen and trapped both miners. The rock had fallen and was leaning on the continuous mining machine. Both miners were located just inby the right back corner of the continuous mining machine. The survivor was located next to the continuous miner in a void created by the rock leaning against the continuous mining machine. The victim was located under the rock where it met the ground, resulting in fatal crushing injuries.

FATALITY ALERT

COAL MINE FATALITY - On Friday, March 22, 2013, a 29-year old continuous mining machine operator, with 9 years of mining experience, was killed while operating a remote-controlled continuous mining machine during retreat mining. While mining a left hand lift, the victim and his helper were positioned near the right rear corner of the continuous mining machine and the right rib. A section of roof, approximately 8 feet long by 7 feet wide and 16 inches thick, fell and broke several roof bolts. The fallen rock struck the victim and knocked down the victim’s helper, injuring him. The slab of rock that fell was a portion of a larger fall, approximately 20 feet wide by 25 feet long, that included the bolted roof between the rear of the continuous mining machine and the mobile roof support units located inby.

FINAL REPORT
CAI-2013-08
UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION 

COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH 

REPORT OF INVESTIGATION 

Underground Coal Mine 

Fatal Fall of Roof Accident
March 22, 2013 

Castle Valley 
#4 Mine 

Huntington, Utah
I.D. No. 42-02335 

Accident Investigators 

Phillip R. Gibson, Jr.
Mine Safety and Health Inspector