Appalachian Fuels, LLCMining Incidents in 2005

An unplanned stockpile fire occurred at this facility that was not extinguished within thirty minutes.

VICTIM WAS ASSISTING WITH INSTALLATION OF NEW BEARINGS ON CRUSHER ROLLS. ONE BEARING HAD BEEN INSTALLED, MAKING PREPARATIONS FOR SECOND. REACHED UNDER THE SHAFT TO REMOVE SOME DEBRIS, WELD ON THE EYE HOLDING THE ROLL BROKE, FELL ON HIS RIGHT HAND. SURGERY PERFORMED ON HIS RIGHT HAND. THE 1ST AND 2ND FINGERS AMPUTATED TO THE KNUCKLE, 3RD AMPUTATED TO THE SECOND JOINT.

Victim picked up a drill bit for highwall drill and caused an existing hernia to be reinjured. Missed one days work.

Employee was checking oil levels on grader when employee was dismounting the machine, one foot hit ice and employee fell to the ground. Employee bruised his shoulder blades and left hip.

Employee was checking for a chipped tooth on the bucket on the shovel. He pushed a rock out of the way which in turn fell on his left hand & fingers.

Employee was on top of water truck to check and see if tank was full, when he slipped and fell on top of the water truck.

EE WAS TIGHTENING APPROX. 200 LUG BOLTS ON THE WHEELS OF CAT 793 TRUCK USING AN AIR GUN FOR APPROX. 45-60 MINUTES.

Mechanic was moving the jack pad on the drill when he started feeling pain in his lower back. Pulled muscle in lower back. Missed work from 9/6 thru 9/10/2005.

Operator was dismounting truck, the bottom cable step slipped and caused his left foot to strike the ground very hard. It had been raining & there was a lot of mud. His left knee was dislocated and will require surgery.

EE and another mechanic were performing repair work on a drill. He used a hammer to loosen parts on the final drive. Impact from hammer caused a splinter of metal to chip off and imbed in his left wrist area. Doctors determined that it would be best to leave splinter where it is. Missed two days work

Cut about a 6 inch bush which had a grapevine growing from it in the ground which was unseen and it knocked him down and landed on a rock which cut his head.

Victim was assisting with pulling the cars out of the hole that was finished. He go his right foot caught between the push assembly and one of the cars. Foot was bruised & swollen on top. Missed two days work.

When removing wheel from water truck the cleat from the wheel ejected striking ee in the left hand and wrist area.

Employee says that he was ?jarred? in the rock truck while being loaded. Two days rest.

Employee states that he thinks original injury occurred on 6-1-05. He didn't report it until 10-14-05 when he felt a sharp in lower left groin area. He went to doctor and was diagnosed with a hernia. Surgery to repair is scheduled for 11-4-05.

WHILE UNLOADING A TRANSMISSION PUMP FROM THE BACK OF SERVICE TRUCK, HIS FOOT SLIPPED ON THE BUMPER AND HE FELL TO THE GROUND WITH PUMP FALLING ON ARM.

REMOVING PIVOT SHAFT RETAINER PLATE FROM DOZER BY APPLYING AIR PRESSURE. WHEN RETAINER PLATE EJECTED FROM ROLLER FRAME HOUSING, IT STRUCK EE IN THE STOMACH AND RT. SIDE.

Victim was tightening bottom roller caps when the impact wrench kicked back off the bolt. Pulled muscle or strain to shoulder. Missed one days work.

Victim was dismounting the loader when he stepped on the bottom step that had gotten broken during his shift and he fell to the ground. Complained of pain in lower back, diagnosed with swollen disc.

EE was dismounting the truck when he slipped on the bottom step and fell, bruising his left hip. Missed two days work.

EE was climbing onto the truck to start his shift. He had a lunch bucket and another item in his hands. He slipped and fell approximately ten feet to the ground. His left leg was broken just below the left knee. Required surgery to insert pins and plates to stabilize the bones.

EE was tugging on the tire on a mechanics truck trying to remove it from the truck. He felt a pain in his lower abdomen/groin area.He is still off work due to hernia.

EE was utilizing a Caterpillar 325-B excavator to clean loose material from the highwall along the road. EE states tried to pull a rock with the bucket and it slipped. This caused EE to be jarred around in the seat of the excavator. Complained of pain in lower back. Still being treated for pain in lower back radiating down leg.

Employee slipped and fell while traveling down a slope beside the truck dump hopper; twisted his right knee. He apparently has returned to his home in Oregon. We have not heard from him and we have no way to get in contact with him. Terminated as of this date (March 28, 2005).

Employee had filled the hydraulic tank on the dozer and was dismounting when he slipped and fell. His right foot was caught behind the pusharm and he fell backwards to the ground twisting his right knee. Either strained knee or possibly torn ligament. Still awaiting evaluation of xrays/scans by medical personnel.

EE was climbing out of the loader to clean the windows when he slipped and fell from the loader to the ground. He is still off work due to pain and stiffness in his neck.

A rock knocker was bent on the right rear tires. EE was attempting to cut it loose. When the final cut was made the rock knocker sprang out and struck the torch EE was using. The torch struck EE on the left cheek and forehead. Laceration to the forehead that required four stitches to close. EE is still off work due to a slight headache, awaiting doctors release to return.

EE was installing a blade on a Caterpillar 16-G Grader. The chain holding the blade upright slipped off and the blade fell forward. The top edge of the blade struck his left foot just behind the steel toe. He incurred a deep laceration to the top of his foot and fractured three metatarsus bones (big toe and the next two). He is still off from work.

EE says he rolled a small rock off a push arm on a dozer. He then proceeded to another piece of equipment and his back started hurting.

Exiting a truck, slipped on the fuel tank step, hurt left knee

This operator had been off work for several weeks with a back injury that happened at home during an ice storm. He returned to work on 2/2/05 and worked one full shift. The next day he notified his supervisor that he had hurt his back the previous night when he backed over a rock with the D-11 dozer he was operating. He is still off from work.

EE was lying on the ground on his back installing cutting edges on the blade of a 16-G grader when he says he had a sharp pain in his lower back going down his right leg.

EE called on 1/19/05 & said he had hurt his back on 01/17/05 while operating a dozer.He states that when he backed over a rock, it caused him to be jerked around in the seat and strained his back.We have not been able to contact him since to get further information on his condition.Noone is sure of his length of experience in mining, so I have entered 0's for now.

Employee was operating a front end loader, loading gravel into to be spread on the haul road. He says that somehow he shifted or twisted in the seat and pulled his left shoulder out of socket.

EE states that twice on his shift a large rock shook the truck he was operating when the loader was putting shot overburden in the bed. His back began hurting, however he continued working until 1/18/2005 before missing the first day of work. He was off until 1/24 and returned to work. After five hours his back was hurting so bad he took off again. Still off from work.

EMPLOYEE SLIPPED OFF SERVICE TRUCK STEP.

Victim was driving the ANFO truck back to the parking area at shift change. While going down a grade, the truck came out of gear and the brakes failed to slow the truck and the truck overturned. Victim has a broken jaw and 12 stitches on inside of his mouth. On light duty until Doctor gives complete releast to return to work.

Employee was operating a loader when he backed into high wall and damaged the equipment. At the end of the shift, employee left the job without reporting the damages. On 11/4/05 employee called in and wanted the day off, wife hand delivered the Workers Comp WC-1 form and alledged the employee had an injury.Employee filed claim after he was terminated.

Employee was stepping down off of a prell truck when his right hand caught the corner of a sign and cut it receiving stitches.

Employee was servicing truck and the truck had broken down, employee came around the truck and caught right ear on lunch bucket rope hook, hook caught on earing and lacerated right ear lobe, requiring a few stiches

Employee was attempting to help free vehicles stuck on road when he slipped on ice and landed on his right hip. Accident occured on the county road not on mine property.