On August 22 this year contract truck driver Danny Lee Jones, 38, died at the Mine No. 39 Job Contour No. 2 operation near Keystone. He had only three days of experience.
“The truck struck the berm of the road near the crest of an average 5 per cent grade road, at which time the driver either fell or jumped from the truck and was run over by the rear wheels,” the agency said of the incident.
In hopes of aiding other mines in the US to prevent similar such accidents, MSHA released the following best practices for coal truck haulage:
- Conduct pre-operational checks to identify defects that may affect the safe operation of equipment before being placed into service;
- Observe all speed limits, traffic rules, and ensure that grades on haulage roads are appropriate for haulage equipment being used;
- Never operate a truck or other mobile equipment without using a seat belt;
- Know the truck's capabilities, operating ranges, load limits and safety features;
- Always select the proper gear and downshift well in advance of descending the grade; and
- Conduct thorough, in-depth task training to cover potential hazards.
The agency has also encouraged industry suggestions for other remedies to prevent this type of accident going forward. When submitting suggestions, it asks for the year of the fatality as well as the number.
The worker’s death was the 19th recorded during 2008 in US coal. Jones’ fatality was the seventh to be classified by MSHA under Powered Haulage this year, and the second for Surface Powered Haulage.
