An official website of the United States government.
Here’s how you know
The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.
The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.
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:
Argus Brock, Lead Accident Investigator
Phone: 606-273-1289
The victim entered a highwall miner entry in the Fire Clay coal seam to retrieve the right side cutter head chain for the Superior Highwall Miner Machine, S/N 61. Approximately 37 feet into the 9.5 feet wide entry a rock 8 feet in width by 6 feet in length and 16 inches thick struck the victim. Two miners rushed to free the victim and extracted the victim to the entrance of the highwall miner entry. The victim was transported by ambulance to a hospital and later died. MSHA accident investigators are conducting an investigation of tha accident.
COAL MINE FATALITY – On Tuesday, October 7, 2014, a 31-year-old utility worker, with 13 years of mining experience, was killed after he crawled 37 feet into an entry mined with a highwall mining machine to retrieve a broken cutter-head-chain from the mining machine. A rock, 8 feet wide, 6 feet long, and 16 inches thick fell on him. He was initially transported to a local hospital and was being airlifted to a larger medical facility when he died.
UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH
REPORT OF INVESTIGATION
Surface Coal Mine
Fatal Fall of Highwall
October 7, 2014
Tinsley Branch HWM 61
Commonwealth Mining, LLC.
Pineville, Bell County, Kentucky
ID No. 33-04642
Accident Investigator
Argus Brock
Coal Mine Safety and Health Inspector
