Bulldozer Operator

Two bulldozers pushing in the same area, operators talking on CB. D9 operator is injured worker. D-11 is colleague. D9 stopped talking. D11 found that D9 had gone over highwall. Injured worker passed away from injuries sustained.

On Friday, December 29, 2017, at approximately 12:57 a.m., Thurman Watts, a 34-year-old bulldozer operator with 10 years of mining experience, was fatally injured when the Caterpillar D-9T bulldozer he was operating traveled over a highwall. The bulldozer dropped approximately 100 feet and continued down the spoil bank, coming to rest approximately 400 feet from the top of the highwall. At the time of the accident, Thurman Watts was removing overburden from a coal seam. The fatal accident occurred because safe work practices were not followed. The ground conditions were irregular. The bulldozer operated by Thurman Watts traveled onto an area of unstable spoil on the top of the highwall. Because of this, the bulldozer was not being operated a safe distance from the edge. The spoil slipped down the highwall face under the bulldozer, causing it to go over the highwall.

1. The policies and procedures used by the mine operator did not ensure that safe working conditions were provided for the employees at all times. The ground conditions were irregular and caused the bulldozer to travel onto an area of unstable spoil that had deposited on the top of the highwall. Because of this, the bulldozer was not being operated a safe distance from the edge. The spoil slipped down the highwall face under the bulldozer, causing it to go over the highwall.

   Corrective action: The mine operator developed a procedure and added it as a revision to its ground control plan to prevent a similar occurrence of this accident. The ground control plan was revised to require that equipment used to push material over elevated highwalls employ the “two blade” method of pushing (one blade of material will be left at the edge and pushed over with the following blade of material).

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

Activity at time of incident

Bulldozer

Subunit / location

STRIP, QUARY, OPEN PIT

Accident type

Struck against a moving object

Source of injury

SURFACE MINING MACHINES

Nature of injury

MULTIPLE INJURIES

Body part affected

MULTIPLE PARTS (MORE THAN ONE MAJOR)

Total mining experience

10 years

Experience at this mine

0 years

Experience in this job

0 years

Degree of injury

FATALITY