In its final report released Wednesday, the US Mine Safety and Health Administration said electrician Steven O’Dell, 27, was killed November 30 when he was caught between the maintenance scoop and continuous miner at White Buck Coal’s Pocahontas operation in Rupert, Greenbrier County.
“O’Dell was positioned beside the cutting head of the continuous mining machine cleaning bolt holes in preparation for the replacement of the offside cutter drum when the maintenance scoop pinned him against the machine,” investigators said.
“When the accident occurred, the scoop was traveling battery end first, through the second connecting crosscut outby the face between the No. 6 and 7 entries.”
A review of the victim’s certifications and training found no deficiencies. O’Dell had three years of mining experience at the time of the incident, nearly all of it with Pocahontas.
Both of the machines involved in the accident were also inspected, and no mechanical deficiencies were identified that would have affected their safe operation.
“The accident occurred because the sight range and distance of the scoop operator was limited due to the terrain of the mine floor, the type and condition of ventilation controls, and the extraneous material placed on top of the rear portion of the maintenance scoop,” MSHA concluded in the report.
“The mine operator was not using barriers to prevent mobile equipment from operating near miners conducting maintenance work.
“The mine operator was [also] not requiring that all miners use personal protective equipment, such as wearable strobe light, to increase their visibility.”
In its corrective actions of the incident’s root causes, officials issued a 314(b) safeguard to White Buck ordering strobe lights be worn by all miners while traveling inby the section loading point.
The light, the agency said, must be worn in a way to ensure the individual can be seen while the miner is faced from the rear.
The operator submitted a revision to its training plan to train miners on the provisions of the safeguard.
Additionally, MSHA said, a safety hazard involving visibility existed on the mine’s No. 2 section, specially that ventilation curtains (also known as fly pads) in use were not constructed completely of transparent material and were not maintained such that scratches, dirt, mud and other debris did not obstruct the visibility of the machine operator.
“The geologic conditions of the mine also caused limited visibility in some areas for machine operators due to undulations in the mine floor and the natural dipping of the coal seam, which made it difficult to see miners and other machinery in active areas where mobile equipment was being operated,” investigators said.
To rectify the issue, MSHA issued another 314(b) safeguard and ordered that transparent ventilation curtains be installed throughout the section, and be maintained as such, to allow an equipment operator to see beyond the ventilation controls.
Finally, the probe found, a modification to the maintenance scoop, which included installation of storage boxes, a welder/bonder and other items on the frame of the maintenance scoop limited the sight distance of the scoop operator.
Another 314(b) was issued on that finding, and the operator is required to maintain all mobile face equipment so mechanical or electrical components, supplies or other extraneous material be located in such a manner that they cannot obstruct or limit the machine operator’s visibility while the machine is in operation.
White Buck Pocahontas is controlled by Alpha Natural Resources.
The room and pillar mine employs 91 underground coal miners and six surface employees. It has two active sections, each with two continuous mining machines operating with separate splits of ventilating air.
It produces bituminous coal from the Pocahontas No. 6 seam.
Prior to the accident, MSHA had completed the last regular safety and health inspection on September 27, 2012.
The mine’s Non-Fatal Days Lost injury incidence rate in 2011 was 9.77, versus the national NFDL rate of 3.36.
