Front-End Loader

Victim was assisting with extracting the highwall miner cars. EE had been shoveling dirt/mud off the deck of the miner. EE was standing at the rear of the deck while a car was being extracted and for unknown reason head came forward and was caught between the car and a support post. Suffered crushing injuries to the head.

On Thursday, March 7, 2019, at approximately 1:30 p.m., Adam P. DeBoard, a 38-year- old front-end loader operator with 10 years of mining experience received fatal injuries when he was crushed between a metal support post on a highwall mining machine and a moving push beam. The accident occurred because the mine operator did not identify the location of the accident as a pinch area and did not train the victim to avoid the pinch area.

1. The task training provided by the mine operator was not adequate because the training did not address areas to avoid in or near pinch areas that exist between moving parts as stated in the Superior Highwall Miners Safety, Operation, and Maintenance Manual.

   Corrective action: The mine operator provided an 8 hour training class for all miners which covered the Superior Highwall Miners Safety, Operation, and Maintenance Manual and identified the areas to avoid during operation. Additionally, the mine operator revised their training plan to include a task training check list, and all miners have been task trained in accordance with the newly approved training plan.

2. The mine operator did not identify the work location where the accident occurred as a pinch area that needed to be avoided.

   Corrective action: The mine operator has identified red zone areas that exist when push beams are being installed or removed. A red zone drawing has been added to the ground control plan with the following requirement, “No persons may enter red zone areas unless the highwall mining machine is idle.”

Findings from MSHA's final investigation report, which supersedes the preliminary narrative above.

Activity at time of incident

Hand Load, Hand Shoveling

Subunit / location

STRIP, QUARY, OPEN PIT

Accident type

Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

Source of injury

SURFACE MINING MACHINES

Nature of injury

CRUSHING

Body part affected

HEAD, MULTIPLE PARTS

Total mining experience

10 years

Experience at this mine

1 year

Experience in this job

6 years

Degree of injury

FATALITY