A report released this week by the US Mine Safety and Health Administration found the accident was due in part to the operator’s insufficient implementation of policies and procedures.

Continuous miner operator Randy Huey, 43, was working in a crosscut about two miles into the mine in Elk County, Pennsylvania.

On April 18 he was positioning a remote-controlled continuous miner unit with an attached bridge conveyor system when he was pinned between the basket of the inby mobile bridge and the rib.

Huey had just under four years of mining experience.

According to the report, the inby mobile bridge operator felt an unusual bouncing of the bridge but did not get a response by radio from the miner operator. The bridge operator then used the emergency stop to shut the system down and crawled towards the face, where Huey was found.

“The mine operator failed to adequately implement existing policy and procedures designed to ensure that miners did not enter dangerous areas that presented pinch hazards such as ‘red zones’,” said the agency of the incident’s root cause.

“While the continuous mining machine was in operation the continuous miner operator entered a pinch point area, red zone, between the basket of the inby mobile bridge conveyor and the mine rib.”

As a corrective action, MSHA ordered all miners, including supervisors, be given additional training to reinforce mobile equipment operation hazards, emphasising pinch points within red zones as well as the policy for not entering such areas.

The operator is also currently reviewing the feasibility of proximity detection devices for low seam continuous mining machines with attached bridge systems, the agency said.

As a result of the mine’s violation, MSHA issued a 104(a) citation for failure to comply with Little Toby’s approved roof control plan, known as 30 CFR 75.220(a) (1).

“The approved roof control plan submitted to, and approved by the district manager on April 25, 2007, states on page 22 that during mining and place changing, with remote controlled continuous mining machines, no persons shall position themselves where they can be contacted by the continuous miner or other equipment,” it said.

The report, however, did not indicate any associated fines.

Little Toby, a 32-worker room and pillar operation, extracts from the Lower Kittanning seam at an average mining height of 40 inches.

Prior to the accident, MSHA said, its last regular inspection occurred on February 19 but one that had commenced April 1 was ongoing at the time of the incident.

The non-fatal days lost (NFDL) injury incidence rate for the mine in 2007 was 2.84 compared to a national NFDL rate of 4.64 for mines of this type.