According to an investigation report released by the US Mine Safety and Health Administration, 64-year-old motorman Lee Graham was working at the Oak Grove Resources’ Oak Grove operation in Adger on May 22, 2008 when he became pinned between a locomotive he had been working with and a longwall shearer body he was helping to transport.
“The car on which the shearer body was being transported derailed as it was ascending an incline inby a dip in the track entry,” the agency said in its report.
“The victim was assessing the situation from a location between his motor and the de-railed carrier when his motor, which was coupled to another inby motor, rolled or slid down slope in the outby direction, crushing him between the shearer body and the motor.”
MSHA investigators found five main issues played a role in the accident, beginning with material accumulation. Specifically, the material had gathered on the outside and between the tack rails, and caused the carrier to derail.
The agency also said the carrier unit involved in the incident was being pushed by crews on the haulage road.
Two inby motors in the vicinity that were stopped on a grade did not have correctly set parking brakes, and workers did not use positive-acting stop blocks to protect them from runaway equipment.
Finally, MSHA said Graham’s location at the time of his death was a pinch point, as he was working between rail equipment.
To rectify the material accumulation at Oak Grove, MSHA ordered that the mine’s track entry and rail areas clear to minimise obstruction, and for crews to use a drawbar or tongue for pulling cars on haulage roads as situations apply.
To correct the pushing action being performed to move the shearer body, the agency instructed the mine to use a rigid connection, such as a drawbar or tongue, between motors and rail cars for pulling on haulage road in specifically applicable situations.
It also asked that workers be trained on how to correctly park equipment and ensure immobilisation before dismounting, as well as for reviews of pinch point safety and awareness.
Graham’s death was the 10th of 29 reported in coal in 2008. He was one of 10 coal miners who lost their lives last year in accidents classified by MSHA as Powered Haulage.
