Accident Report: Fatality Reference
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COAL MINE FATALITY - On Monday, May 16, 2016, a 50-year-old motorman, with over 14 years of mining experience, was fatally injured when the diesel locomotive he was operating crashed through a closed airlock door. The diesel locomotive was pulling six drop deck cars and had stopped to allow another motorman operating a trailing locomotive to separate the cars to provide the clearance needed to pass through the airlock. As the other motorman was preparing to couple his locomotive to the cars, the train unexpectedly moved forward and continued away from him towards the slope bottom where it crashed through the closed outby airlock door.
Best Practices
- Communicate your position and intended movements to other locomotive operators and other miners that may be in the area.
- Always look in the direction of equipment movement and ensure travelways are clear.
- Exercise caution in low clearance work areas and maintain adequate clearance for equipment.
- Keep all body parts within the operator's compartment while the equipment is in motion.
- Maintain control of equipment so that it can be safely stopped.
- Assure dead-man controls are fail-safe and maintain brakes and dynamic retarding controls.
Additional Information
This is the sixth fatality reported in calendar year 2016 in the coal mining industry and the second fatality classified as Powered Haulage. As of this date in 2015, there were five fatalities reported in the coal mining industry. At this time in 2015, there was one fatality in this classification.