Coal Age

APR 2016

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mining heights increase in order to prevent development of rib hazards; and the avoidance of areas of close clearance between ribs and equipment. Operators should ensure they are installing rib bolts with ade- quate surface coverage hardware on cycle and in a consistent pat- tern, MSHA added, and setting post on 4-ft centers along questionable rib lines. Meanwhile, miners are encouraged to be alert for changing conditions, scale or support from a safe location, and to cord off hazardous areas until issues can be addressed. Dana Mining's parent company is GenPower Holdings. Fatality 3 — Dotiki Just hours later, back in Kentucky, a 36-year-old continuous min- er operator was fatally injured after being crushed between his CM and the rib at Alliance resource Partners' Dotiki mine, operat- ed by affiliate Webster County Coal. In that incident, Nathan Phillips, who had five years in the min- ing industry and at the mine, but only a little more than one year operating a CM, was pinned between the tail of the unit and the inby rib as it was being positioned to cut the No. 6 left. There were 124 individuals working in the mine at the time of the accident. MSHA's fatalgram, issued shortly after Phillips' death, indicat- ed that the victim had been positioning the trailing cable, and trammed the machine into the last open cross-cut between the No. 6 and No. 5 entries. s a f e t y r e p o r t c o n t i n u e d April 2016 www.coalage.com 33 Speed, Seat Belt Use at Core of Republic Energy Fatality As Coal Age was going to press near the close of the year, MSHA issued its final investigation report for the March 17, 2015, powered haulage fatality at the Republic Energy complex in Fayette County, West Virginia. In that incident, 52-year-old contract truck driver Von Bower was killed while driv- ing a fuel truck on a mine haulage road. According to the probe's findings, the tandem axle truck, which was fully loaded with about 3,500 gallons of diesel fuel, was found on its top near the bottom of a long descending grade, which included a sharp curve to the right. "The vehicle was found with the top of the cab crushed and both doors closed. Since there was no indication the truck traveled onto the berm or hillside, the driver likely made a sharp turn, at too high of a speed, to follow the road," MSHA investiga- tors said. "This indicates that the speed of the truck was not under control." There were no eyewitnesses to the accident, and no other injuries were involved. In its interviews, the agency said it was not able to determine if Bower had been wearing a seat belt; while one person recalled seeing him without it, it was also thought that it could have been removed post-accident. An autopsy ruled that the victim's death was an accident and not the result of natural causes, such as a heart attack during the truck's operation. A review of the physical factors of the accident, including the 1997 Kenworth W900 tractor he had been operating, was conducted as part of the probe; in that por- tion, it was determined that the truck was likely traveling at a speed exceeding 17 miles per hour when he overturned. "The accident occurred because the contract truck driver was unable to maintain full control of his fully loaded fuel truck while descending a long, steep grade on a mine haul road," MSHA concluded. "The...investigation determined that the truck was traveling at too high a rate of speed to allow it to negotiate a sharp curve near the bottom of the haul road, causing the fuel truck to overturn and skid to a stop on its top, fatally injuring the driver." It issued a 104(a) citation to contractor Rogers Petroleum Services for its violation of 30 CFR Section 77.1607(b) for failure to control.

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