Coal Age

JUL 2015

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edge of the rock closest to Trimble struck and pinned him in an upright position against the roof bolting machine drill canopy." A coroner pronounced the victim dead at 4:30 p.m. at the mine's surface. Among the areas of focus in the death probe: the geological conditions of the A Main section and the mine's roof control plan and addendum at the time of the accident. As was noted by MSHA, all was in compliance, including the measure- ments and distances that had been adjusted in the RCP addendum. Testing was also performed on the ATRS and roof bolter by federal investiga- tors. "Although not a factor in the acci- dent, the lack of a pre-charge in the hydraulic accumulator and the high leak- age rate of the check valve increased the likelihood that the ATRS would not pro- vide proper roof support during a roof bolting cycle longer than 20 minutes," the group noted, adding that a non-con- tributing citation was issued, as was another for the middle extension of the ATRS beam, which was flipped forward in the stowed position. Additionally, during the accident investigation interview process, it was discovered that the wire roof screen installation was not being conducted in a consistent manner by all roof bolters. "Four of the seven roof bolters stated that they walked in front of the drill mast to install support wire and felt that it was acceptable, since they said they were under the ATRS at all times," MSHA said in its report. "However, during re-enact- ment of the accident, it was determined that the distance from the outby edge of the ATRS to the drill mast ranged from 18 to 22 in. At the time of the accident, the right hand canopy was approximately 4.3 ft off the mine floor and the left side canopy was approximately 4.5 ft off the mine floor." The report went on to indicate that drill station canopies were lowered in order to place wire roof screen on top of the canopies for installation, a practice that causes the drill station canopies to not be in a position to protect the roof bolters from potential roof hazards while positioning the wire roof screen. As a result of the investigation, the mine's roof control plan was revised to include a safer means of installing wire roof screen. This, too, was a primary focus of corrective actions completed at the mine post-incident. Once again, the investigators' conclu- sions in the report pointed back to the mine's operator. "The operator failed to prevent min- ers from working in an area that was not adequately supported or otherwise con- trolled to prevent hazards from falling roof," MSHA said. "The roof bolting machine operators were allowed to posi- tion themselves between the drill mast and the ATRS, with the drill station canopies lowered, while positioning the roof screen. This practice exposed roof bolting machine operators to hazards from falling roof." The agency issued one citation for a violation of 30 CFR, Section 75.202(a), for a failure to support or otherwise control the area of loose roof rock in the A Mains. July 2015 www.coalage.com 45 s a f e t y r e p o r t c o n t i n u e d Settling ponds cause profit-draining downtime and environmental headaches. McLanahan Corporation offers a custom engineered processing solution to help you recover more fines, while saving time and maximizing production. Where you once had fine-laden slurry, you now have dry cakes you can market. For a more sustainable and more profitable operation, call McLanahan at +1 (814) 695 9807. Filter Press Filter Press Cake Dewatering Screen Thickener mclanahan.com

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