Laborer

EE was fatally injured while performing the standard practice of scaling loose material using a mechanical scaler. Loose material fell from the back contacting the scaler and employee.

On January 21, 2015, John D. Hoodenpyle, Mechanical Scaler, age 54, was killed when a section of rock fell from the back/roof, collapsing the protective structure on a scaling machine. Hoodenpyle was operating a mechanical scaler (scaler) in the RC3PO Northeast drift when approximately 175 tons of material fell, covering the machine. The accident occurred due to management’s failure to identify hazardous ground conditions and to design and install an adequate support system that controlled the ground in the RC3PO Northeast area, where persons worked or traveled in performing their assigned tasks. Management did not ensure that miners scaled the roof from a safe location.

1. Management failed to establish policies and procedures for identifying hazardous ground conditions. Prior to the accident, miners were not required to drill test holes at each intersection in order to identify adverse ground conditions.

   Corrective action: Management established new policies and procedures for identifying hazardous ground conditions and trained miners to drill test holes at the beginning of each drilling cycle to identify any separation in the roof strata. The test holes are required to be drilled, as near to vertical as possible, and shall extend no less than one foot longer than the support installed. The hole will be visibly marked/ identified and the results of the examination will be recorded on the workplace examination record.

2. Management failed to design and install adequate support to control the roof in the disrupted bedding of the brecciated zone of the back (roof) in the RC3PO Northeast area where persons worked or traveled in performing their assigned tasks.

   Corrective action: Management established new policies and procedures requiring test holes to be drilled at the beginning of each drilling cycle to identify any separation in the roof strata. The test holes are required to be drilled, as near to vertical as possible, and shall extend no less than one foot longer than the support installed. The hole will be visibly marked/ identified and the results of the examination will be recorded on the workplace examination record.

3. Management failed to ensure that miners performed scaling operations from a safe location that would not expose them to falling material.

   Corrective action: Management established a new procedure that requires scaling operations to be conducted from a safe location that does not expose miners to falling material. The new roof control procedures requiring limited distances for unbolted areas will ensure a safe location for scaling operations. Miners were trained in this new procedure.

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

Activity at time of incident

Underground Equipment, Nec

Subunit / location

UNDERGROUND

Underground location

SLOPE/INCLINED SHAFT

Mining method

Conventional Stoping

Accident type

Struck by falling object

Source of injury

CAVING ROCK,COAL,ORE,WSTE

Nature of injury

MULTIPLE INJURIES

Body part affected

MULTIPLE PARTS (MORE THAN ONE MAJOR)

Total mining experience

4 years

Experience at this mine

4 years

Experience in this job

2 years

Degree of injury

FATALITY