Mining Incidents

Pennsylvania mining incidents

Every reportable accident on file with MSHA at a Pennsylvania mine. Operators below are ranked by recorded fatality count in this state alone.

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Fatalities recorded
63
Total incidents
20,353
Most recent fatality
2025

Top operators in Pennsylvania by fatality count

  1. 01Dana Mining Company of Pennsylvania LLC1fatal
  2. 02Jeddo Coal Company1fatal
  3. 03Rosebud Mining Company1fatal

Recent fatalities in Pennsylvania

Struck by falling object

The EE was loading lifters when a piece of rock (approx. 4'x 5' x 2') fell from the ceiling and struck the EE. The EE was not pinned under the rock. This resulted in a fatal accident.

Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

An employee was crushed between a mobile bridge carrier (MBC) and the coal rib.

Struck by powered moving object

Truck Driver in TDW060 pulled over and stopped at a curve in the road, partially off the road, which created a blind spot. Loader Operator in 3LV025 was driving in the same direction of the truck. As the Loader Operator passed the truck the Truck Driver was struck and killed.

Drowning

A contractor was found in a shallow pool of water at the base of a highwall.

Caught in, under or between (Not Elsewhere Classified)

While cleaning raw coal material from on top of the locked out Raw Coal Stacking Conveyor, the Miner was standing on the conveyor ahead of the conveyor feed chute. The belt and material moved backwards, sweeping the Miner into the chute and covered Miner with material.

Struck against a moving object

Truck driver was found unresponsive in the cab of EE's overturned truck at the bottom of the feed ramp drop off. There were no witnesses to the accident. Investigation is still pending.

Struck by powered moving object

While doing general work in the section employee was struck by a shuttle car and received crushing injuries to their upper torso.

Struck by falling object

Employee disregarded lock out tag safety training and climbed into a hopper without de-energizing equipment and without notifying other workers in the area. Loader operator had no way of knowing that anyone would be inside the hopper with the feeder belt running. Employee in the hopper was buried and crushed when loader operator dumped 18 tons of stone into hopper

Contact with electrical current

An examiner was found unresponsive in an underground sump. As of this time the exact cause of the employee's death is still undetermined.

Struck by falling object

In the Main A section, number 5 entry in the intersection of crosscut 139 at station spad #2994. While walking past a rib, a rock measuring approximately 5'x2'x18"" fell out striking the victim.

Struck by falling object

A miner was fatally injured when material fell from the roof of the mine, striking the cab of the front end loader the miner was operating.

Fall from machine

A contract employee was conducting maintenance duties at the number 6 cement cooler when the employee fell approximately 25 feet onto a concrete floor.

Struck by falling object

A continuous miner operator was mining in the number one entry when employee was struck by a rock in by permanent roof supports. This resulted in a fatality.

Struck by falling object

Feather edge false roof fall resulting in a death

Struck by rolling or sliding object

The employee was walking off the face at the G1HG longwall section. As employee passed the head gate drive, the previously bolted and meshed rib unexpectedly failed and the material struck employee resulting crushing type injuries.

Fall to lower level, (Not Elsewhere Classified)

An employee was in the process of removing a metal dumpster from the bottom floor of our truck unloading building using a hoist. When they removed the dumpster from the building the hand rail was not put back into position and the employee fell into the lifting bay of the hoist. Fall was approximately 37 feet to the bottom level.

Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

While operating the 2nd/back MBC (mobile bridge carrier) the employee became pinned between the bridge of the MBC and the rib.

Struck by flying object

Mechanic was looking over the hydraulic equipment on a service truck when something failed & struck the mechanic in head above right eye. Mechanic fell back onto the garage floor.

Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

The CM had backed out of the number one entry and began tramming to the number two entry when ee noticed the front MBC on the attached system did not pull ahead. At that time, the victim was found at the MBC suffering from crushing injuries. This resulted in a fatality.

Caught in, under or between running or meshing objects

Victim used an aerial lift positioned under the #3 tunnel belt to access the take-up pulley assemble components. As the victim was attempting to manually clean the north side of the west bend pulley, ee became entangled between the rotating pulley and the moving conveyor belt, resulting in a fatal injuries.

Source: US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) accident records, kept current weekly. State assignment uses MSHA's FIPS state code on the accident record.