Driller Operator

September 4, 1990 at 9:10 AM

NEW MARKET MINE · Underground · Metal/Non-Metal

Operator: Asarco Inc

Knox County, TN

Classification IGNITION OR EXPLOSION OF GAS OR DUST

Type (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Investigator narrative

HE WAS DRILLING IN 14-B-2 WEST DRIFT. APPARENTLY HE DRILLED INTO AN ISOLATED POCKET OF METHANE GAS. HE WAS SEVERELY BURNED WHEN THE METHANE EXPLODED AND DIED OF ASPHIXIATION. THE SOURCE OF THE METHANE AND THE SOURCE OF THE IGNITION ARE UNDER INVESTIGATION.

Record details

Activity at time of incident: Drill Face, Rib, Side, Down
Subunit / location: UNDERGROUND
Underground location: FACE
Mining method: Conventional Stoping
Accident type: (Not Elsewhere Classified)
Source of injury: OXYGEN DEFICIENT ATMOSPHR
Nature of injury: MULTIPLE INJURIES
Body part affected: MULTIPLE PARTS (MORE THAN ONE MAJOR)
Total mining experience: 26 years
Experience at this mine: 26 years
Experience in this job: 5 years
Degree of injury: FATALITY

Verify on MSHA

Every record on this page mirrors what MSHA publishes under its Open Government Data program, refreshed weekly. MSHA does not publish per-accident URLs — the Accidents data is distributed as a single bulk file — so this is how to retrieve the source for the specific record below:

Accident record: Download MSHA Accidents.zip — then search for Document number 219902600001 (the unique key per MSHA Form 7000-1)
Mine record: MSHA Mine Data Retrieval System — search by Mine ID 4000606
All MSHA datasets: Open Government Data program directory — Accident, Mines, Inspections, Violations, etc.

Source: US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) · Document 219902600001 · Mine ID 4000606 Trainer view →