This resulted in fatal crushing injuries to a miner who entered an unsupported highwall mining machine opening, according to a report by the US Mine Safety and Health Administration.
About 5pm on October 7 last year Justin Mize was killed at the Commonwealth Mining operation.
The victim crawled 12m into an unsupported opening that was mined with a highwall mining machine to retrieve a broken cutter-head chain when a rock that measured roughly 2m by 2.5m and 45cm thick crushed him.
“From the facts gathered during the investigation, the highwall mining machine opening where the accident occurred had only been driven 70 feet (about 22m) due to the cutter-head chain breaking,” MSHA said in its report.
“The cutter-head chain was located 37 feet (about 12m) from the surface into the opening. Twelve to twenty inches (about 30-51cm) of loose drawrock and cap coal was observed hanging from the roof of the highwall mining machine opening where the accident occurred. Additionally, drawrock was present in the roof of the number 659 highwall mining machine opening which was mined earlier in the shift. Drawrock that had already fallen from the roof was also observed on the floor of the number 659 highwall mining machine opening.
“When the victim crawled underground in an attempt to recover the broken cutter-head chain, no roof support or ground support was used. Additionally, no roof support or ground support was used at any time while the foreman and the other two miners were attempting to rescue the victim. At no time was roof support or ground support used to protect the victim or those who recovered the victim.”
