Alpha Coal West, Inc.Mining Incidents in 2006

While climbing the boarding ladder on a Cat 793 haul truck, the employee experienced a sharp pain in the right shoulder.

EE was replacing the rear suspension cylinder on a CAT 793 truck. As he was using a sledge hammer to drive the top strut pin from its bore he felt a pain in his right wrist. He did not report the incident at that time. On 9/22/06, as he was loosening/tightening the wear plate retaining bolts on a 24M motor grader, using a 3/4" impact wrench, he again experienced pain in wrist.

Glove snagged on hinge while closing door-pinched 4th finger of right hand between door & frame-smashed fingernail causing cut and bone fracture.

EE was lifting a phase module to install in cabinet and strained his lower back.

Employee was unloading a portable generator from the bucket of a backhoe loader. As he moved the unit he sustained a strain in the groin area. On 4-27-06 after a doctors visit it was determined that he had a hernia.

As EE was coming down the front ladder of a CAT 793 truck, a welder working 15 feet away struck an arc, causing him to see "spots". The next morning his eyes were swollen and felt like they had something in them. He went to the doctor and was diagnosed as having corneal ultraviolet burns,

At the time of the incident employee was installing a final drive cover on a CAT 793 truck. As he was using an overhead hoist to move the cover, the threads on the bolt attaching the lifting link to the cover stripped, allowing the cover to drop and strike employee on his right foot.

EE was lowering a drop cord from the shovel house to the ground, when his foot slipped on some grease. When he fell, he fractured a bone in his left wrist.

The employee was pulling on a water pump primer hose. Unexpectedly, the hose moved abruptly. The employee lost her balance and hit her head on the primer bowl creating a gash requiring stitches in her right eyebrow.

Employee punctured finger with tie wire on 11/8/06, finger became infected and was treated on 11-15-06.

A welding technician was struck by a small piece of metal debris while removing the insert on a shovel latchbar. The technician received a 1/2 inch laceration which required three stitches.

A MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN WAS INSTALLING A GREASE PUMP MOTOR. THE TECH MISTAKENLY HOOKED UP THE AIR HOSE TO THE MOTOR BEFORE HE HAD COMPLETED INSTALLATION. WHILE TIGHTENING A MOUNTING BOLT, THE TECH INADVERTENLY BUMPED AN AIR VALVE WHICH ACUTATED THE AIR MOTOR SHAFT. THE TECH'S RIGHT FOREARM WAS CAUGHT BETWEEN THE AIR MTR SHAFT & THE PUMP SHAFT.

While bolting a section of poly pipe a contact pit pumper was struck on the nose resulting in a nasal fracture and a small laceration requiring sutures.