The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration released the final results of its investigations into three deaths at coal mines, finding that operator negligence contributed to two 2017 fatalities while the actions of another worker led to a 2016 death.
Michael Ramsey, a 14-year mining veteran, became the sixth coal mining fatality of 2017 when the Caterpillar 777F haul truck he was operating went over a highwall May 6 at the Rosebud Mine & Crusher/Conveyor owned by Westmoreland Coal Co. and operated by Western Energy Co. in Montana. Ramsey was backing up the truck to dump a load of overburden into a pit when the ground under the truck failed, causing the truck to fall 150 feet, MSHA said.
The agency found that Western Energy failed to ensure that haul truck drivers maintained a safe distance from the highwall when unloading cargo and the mine operator had prior knowledge of unsafe dumping practices at the mine.
The other report from 2017 concerned mine examiner Marius Shepherd, who was killed in a June 19 accident involving a runaway supply train at the Oak Grove Mine in Alabama, operated by Oak Grove Resources LLC.
Investigators were unable to determine whether Shepherd jumped or was thrown from the train but found that water had accumulated over the track rails and the train's operators were unable to control its speed due to the combination of the track grade, malfunctioning track sanders on the train and the slick, wet rails.
"The fatal accident occurred, in part, because the mine operator did not comply with previously issued safeguards," MSHA said. "These safeguards prohibited unauthorized personnel from riding in locomotives, water over track rails, and required sanding devices to be properly maintained."
The Oak Grove Mine was also the site of the ninth coal mine fatality in 2016. Qian Yujun, a shield designer and engineer with 13 years of experience, asphyxiated Dec. 2 when the longwall shield he had been working on collapsed and fell on him.
Qian was installing hydraulic components on a tilt cylinder when his coworker, whose primary duty was to serve as a translator and had no experience assembling longwall shields, removed plugs from both support cylinders, which depressurized the hydraulic system and caused the shield to collapse. The translator said Qian had verbally instructed him to remove the plugs from the support cylinder, the MSHA report noted.
At the time of the incident, Oak Grove Mine was controlled by ERP Compliant Fuels.
