General labourer Adam Lanham, 18, had just five weeks of mining experience at International Coal Group's Wolf Run Mining Sentinel mine in Barbour County, West Virginia when he was struck by a Fairchild 35C-WH battery-operated scoop.
“The victim was assisting two other miners repair a haul road [and] the scoop operator had just changed out the scoop batteries and picked up a load of gravel," the agency said of the accident.
“The victim was travelling on foot and was being followed by the scoop and a diesel road grader. While in route, the scoop operator inadvertently struck the victim causing fatal injuries."
ICG spokesperson Ira Gamm confirmed for ILN just after the incident that an investigation by the company had commenced and that Lanham was a contract employee for the Sentinel mine. MSHA said the man's employer was Mine Temp LLC of Morgantown.
In hopes of preventing similar such incidents in the future at mines across the US, MSHA released a series of best practices for miner safety. They include:
Remain a safe distance from moving equipment until it has passed;
Walk behind moving mobile equipment when travelling in the same entry;
When operating mobile equipment, ensure that other workers are in a safe area before moving the equipment;
When necessary to walk or work in the area of moving mobile equipment, wear reflective clothing to ensure a high visibility; and
Always assume the mobile equipment operator has not seen you unless eye contact is confirmed.
As always, the agency invites the input of the industry regarding other ways to work safely around moving equipment. Those wishing to submit suggestions should include the year and fatality number for the death.
Lanham's death was the 11th in the nation so far this year, and the fourth classified by MSHA under Powered Haulage.
According to federal statistics, the Sentinel mine had no previous contractor fatal injuries since 1995.
Its operator non-fatal days lost (NFDL) rate for 2007 was 5.83 and it has four contractor injuries that counted towards that total, and Sentinel's NFDL rate through the first quarter of the agency's year in 2008 was 11.86.
