Mining Incidents

Tennessee mining incidents

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

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Fatalities recorded
27
Total incidents
3,644
Most recent fatality
2025

Top operators in Tennessee by fatality count

  1. 01Rogers Group Inc1fatal
  2. 02Vulcan Construction Materials, LLC1fatal
  3. 03Nyrstar Tennessee Mines, Strawberry Plains LLC1fatal
  4. 04Tennco Inc1fatal
  5. 05South Pittsburg Stone1fatal
  6. 06Lhoist North America of Tennessee, LLC1fatal
  7. 07Ford Construction Company1fatal
  8. 08Hinkle Contracting Company LLC1fatal

Recent fatalities in Tennessee

Struck by falling object

Operator was conducting remoting activities in an area known as the 2025 area when a large rock contacted the cab. Operator was found in the cab out past the designated no-go line and sustained fatal injuries.

Fall from machine

Employee found face down on ground next to loader EE was operating. Responding authorities pronounced employee deceased. Incident is still under investigation.

Struck by flying object

The victim was mounting a haul truck tire on a rim when a rim locking ring dislodged and struck employee, causing fatal injuries.

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

Employee was assisting repair/replace toggle plate and toggle plate bearings on the jaw crusher when they suffered a pinning type injury.

Caught in, under or between collapsing material or buildings

Employee was operating front end loader in the coal shed. For unknown reasons employee left the loader and was engulfed in the coal pile near the grizzly bars for the feeding system.

Struck by falling object

Employee was conducting ground control measures when a rock fell striking the employee while high scaling.

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

A group solely comprised of RWS contractors [MSHA Contractor ID B5045] was working in the mine. A pump sitting on a trailer was moved by RWS contractors by a telehandler, without notification to Nyrstar. RWS hitched the trailer to their telehandler. RWS pulled the trailer up a ramp. The trailer hitch broke. An individual RWS EE traveling on foot behind the trailer was struck

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

A rail haulage offsider was riding back to the chute to get another load when the locomotive over traveled into the chute causing fatal injuries to the offsider rail employee.

Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Plant Manager aggravated a pre-existing injury to the right heel tearing a blood blister while walking over a level drill bench. On July 20th, EE died after complications following surgery after an x-ray revealed a broken right heel bone and torn achilles tendon.

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

Pending Investigation - Victim was leveling material in a trench made for laying electrical conduit, manager was operating front-end loader above. The front-end loader was being used to back fill the trench when the bank collapsed causing the front-end loader to slide into the trench. The victim was fatally injured when victim was pinned between loader and jersey block.

Struck by falling object

The injured employee was working in the North East corner of the pit loading shot rock. While waiting for the haul truck to return to the muck pile, the excavator was struck by several large rocks. No one witnessed the accident. The haul truck driver discovered the accident scene and rescue/recovery efforts begun. The excavator operator was fatally injured.

Unclassified, insufficient data

Operator working at site pushing material and apparently went over earthen wall into water.

Struck by falling object

Victim was inby last row of support when a rock fell on him causing death.

Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

EE was cutting drill head from drill steel. Cutting operation resulted in fragmentation of drill steel. EE was struck by drill steel fragment resulting in his death.

Struck against stationary object

Truck traveling from mine site. The victim had truck in high gear, truck was out of control, he put truck in ditch and jumped out. Victim received fatal injury to head.

Struck by falling object

Employee was pinned between concrete structure and wall of hole.

Fall down raise, shaft or manway

Employee was working approximately 550' down in elevator shaft, working off top of elevator. Beam came loose that was thought to be secured. Employee fell from top of elevator to bottom of shaft, resulting in his death.

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

Utility operator was preparing to wash out the rail scale. The loader operator was weighing the loader on the scale. The loader operator announced on the radio that he was moving the loader off the scale. He slowly moved forward when he observed the utility operator on the ground. The utility operator apparently fell and was crushed by the front left tire of the loader.

Contact with electrical current

The employee suffered a fatal electrocution injury while engaged in positioning the electrical MCC building. The boom truck became energized when contacting overhead power lines.

Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Disassembling a crushing plant. two employees were attempting to remove the motor that drove the hazmac crusher by using a boom truck. The motor became stuck on the motor mount bolts that had been cut off using a torch. The employees then tried to pry it from its stuck position when it freed and came forward.

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.