Maintenance Man

A mine mechanic was operating a diesel mantrip along the M5 Travelway when it appears the vehicle struck the coal rib and rolled on its side. The mechanic was partially ejected from the ride and the canopy fell on ee chest.

On Friday March 16, 2018, at approximately 11:50 a.m., Jason M. Williams, a 34 year-old outby mechanic with 16 years of mining experience was fatally injured while operating a personnel carrier on a mine haulage road. The vehicle struck the right coal rib and rolled onto its left side. Williams was partially ejected from the personnel carrier and became trapped between the canopy of the personnel carrier and the mine floor. This accident occurred because the mine operator did not assure that equipment operators maintain full control of the personnel carrier while it was in motion. In addition, mine management did not provide safety features to prevent persons in outby personnel carriers from being ejected.

1. The mine operator did not assure that equipment operators maintain full control of the equipment while it was in motion.

   Corrective action: The mine operator retrained all miners on its existing safe operating program for diesel powered equipment. For personnel carriers equipped with three or four gears, the mine operator removed the ability for those transmissions to shift into third or fourth gear, in order to reduce the maximum traveling speed of the carriers. For personnel carriers equipped with only two gears, the mine operator utilized a mechanism to reduce maximum speed

2. The mine operator did not provide safety features to prevent persons in outby personnel carriers from being ejected.

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

Activity at time of incident

Mantrip

Subunit / location

UNDERGROUND

Underground location

LAST OPEN CROSSCUT

Mining method

Continuous Mining

Accident type

Struck against a moving object

Source of injury

MINE JEEP,KERSEY,JITNEY

Nature of injury

CRUSHING

Body part affected

CHEST (RIBS/BREAST BONE/CHEST ORGNS)

Total mining experience

16 years

Experience at this mine

2 years

Experience in this job

16 years

Degree of injury

FATALITY