Accident Report: Fatality Reference
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COAL MINE FATALITY – On Wednesday, August 20, 2014, a 41-year-old maintenance supervisor with approximately 19 years of mining experience was killed when he came in contact with an energized component inside an explosion proof enclosure. The victim had removed the enclosure’s panel cover and was troubleshooting or performing electrical work on the 600 VAC roof bolting machine when he was electrocuted.
Best Practices
- Wear properly rated and well maintained electrical gloves when troubleshooting or testing energized circuits.
- REMEMBER, troubleshooting or testing is the work of locating electrical problems and verifying that proper repairs have been made.
- After locating the electrical problem, and before performing electrical work, open the circuit breaker, and disconnect and lock-out and tag-out the visual disconnecting device.
- Use properly rated electrical meters and non-contact voltage testers to ensure electrical circuits are deenergized prior to performing electrical work.
- REMEMBER, electrical work is the work required to install or maintain electrical equipment or conductors.
- Perform your own lock-out and tag-out procedure and NEVER rely on others to do this for you.
- Install warning labels on a circuit breaker’s line side terminals stating that the terminal lugs remain energized when the circuit breaker is open.
- Develop, communicate, and execute a written plan before performing electrical troubleshooting and repair to ensure that safety is maximized for all miners involved in the task.
Additional Information
This is the ninth fatality reported in calendar year 2014 in the coal mining industry and it is classified as Electrical. As of this date in 2013 there were fourteen fatalities reported in the coal mining industry. At this time in 2013 there were no fatalities in this classification.