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Just four days into the new year, less than a week after the coal industry marked its safest year in history for 2015 with 11 fatali- ties, any positive momentum that had been accumulated with the record was turned on its ear with the first coal-mining death of 2016. As it turns out, that was just the beginning. Compounding the bad start was another fatality just 12 days later, and a third three days after that. In all, four deaths beset coal in the first quarter, all of them underground and all of them contained to three Eastern states. Two of the miners lost were killed in accidents classified by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) as Fall of Rib. The remaining two were classified Powered Haulage and Machinery. While trends at this point are more difficult to isolate, one alarming connection can be made: three of the four victims had five years or less of experience at the mine site where they died and five years or less at the job or task they were assigned. All of that said, there is no reason to believe that, as an indus- try, coal cannot beat its own record this year, keeping in mind that the first quarter of last year also began with a group of four fatalities. This optimism rings particularly true if the lessons from the below events can be applied, along with those in history, to prevent the loss of life moving forward. Fatality 1 — Lower War Eagle The first coal mining death, recorded on January 4, was the result of a powered haulage accident at Greenbrier Minerals' Lower War Eagle operation in Cyclone, Wyoming County, West Virginia. Shortly after midnight, while preparing to change out a hold-up roller as he was conducting belt maintenance, 53-year-old belt fore- man and fireboss Peter Sprouse was fatally injured when he became entangled in a moving belt conveyor at the No. 1 belt drive. While Sprouse had more than 34 years of mining experience, only four-and-a-half years of that was for Lower War Eagle, which is owned by Coronado Coal. About 50 workers were in the mine at the time. In a fatalgram released shortly after, MSHA officials stressed in its best practices that no work should ever be performed on a moving conveyor belt, and that no person should ever enter a clearance-restricted area along a moving belt. Additionally, before any work is done to a belt, a visual discon- nect should be done to ensure power is off, along with one's own lock and tag. All machinery should be blocked against motion before maintenance or repairs begin. A final investigation report on Sprouse's death is still pending. Fatality 2 — Dana Mining 4 West On January 16 in southwestern Pennsylvania, a rib roll incident killed 31-year-old continuous miner (CM) operator Jeremy Neice at Dana Mining Co. of Pennsylvania's 4 West mine in Greene County, just north of the Mason-Dixon Line. The 12-year mining veteran was pinned beneath a coal/rock rib 4.5 ft in length, 3 ft high and 3 ft in thickness while he was operating a miner unit at the No. 2 entry. He had been at the mine, working as a CM opera- tor, for a little more than two weeks. While the release of a final investigation report is also still pending for this incident, MSHA's fatalgram with preliminary findings stressed the importance of thorough roof, rib, and face examinations for all areas where crews will be working and travel- ing. It also urged mines to know and follow their approved roof control plan and incorporate extra support as needed in areas with roof or rib abnormalities. Other best practices issued by the agency included awareness of potential hazards at all times; additional safety precautions as b l a st h o l e d r i l l i n g 32 www.coalage.com April 2016 sa f e t y r e p o rt B Y D O N N A S C H M I D T , F I E L D E D I T O R 1Q Fatality Overview Three deaths in January at the core of coal's deadly quarter A 53-year-old belt foreman and fireboss was killed January 4 at Coronado Coal's Lower War Eagle mine in West Virginia. His death was the first for coal in 2016. An arrow indicates the location of the 31-year-old miner operator killed in a January 16 rib roll at Dana Mining's 4 West operation in Pennsylvania.