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June 2, 2021 Fatality - Fatality Alert

Lapse in Appropriations

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Accident Report: Fatality Reference

PDF Version

MINE FATALITY – On June 2, 2021, a 26-year-old section foreman with five years of mining experience was pinned against a continuous mining machine by a piece of rib. The piece fell while he was installing a rib bolt with the machine mounted rib drill.

Accident scene

Best Practices

  • Support loose roof and rib material adequately or scale loose material from a safe location before working or traveling in an area.
  • Examine the roof, face and ribs immediately before starting work in an area and throughout the shift as conditions warrant.
  • Take additional safety precautions when mining heights increase and in areas where mine conditions change.
  • Train miners to recognize roof and rib hazards and to stop work in the area until the hazards are corrected.

Additional Information

This is the 13th fatality reported in 2021, and the first classified as “Fall of Face, Rib, Side or Highwall”