January 23, 2013: A contract welder was attempting to remove a damaged portion of the center push blade metal liner on a bulldozer. The hydraulic jack slipped and the victim was crushed between the blade and the damaged wear plate.
February 6, 2013: An engineer was killed when a hydraulic cylinder failed catastrophically. Prior to the accident, he was trouble shooting a plate-and-frame filter press that was being used to de-water coal slurry.
February 7, 2013: A utility man/scoop operator was in the deck of a battery scoop and two miners were unloading trash from the metal scoop bucket insert onto the hoist for removal from the mine. The hoist elevated suddenly causing the scoop bucket, positioned over the hoist deck, to lift upward and slip away from the hoist deck. This motion caused the scoop to fall downward onto the mine floor. The two miners unloading trash were able to run to safety; however, the scoop operator cleared the operator’s deck but was found beneath the scoop with fatal, crushing injuries.
February 12, 2013: Four shield carriers derailed while moving longwall parts. In the process of putting one of the shield carriers back on the track, the load shifted and caused a pry bar to fly back and hit a miner in the head.
February 13, 2013: The tail of the continuous miner swung back toward the continuous miner operator and pinned him against the rib.
February 19, 2013: A miner, who normally operates a shuttle car, was shoveling the rib while working with a scoop operator cleaning road ways. The battery end of the scoop struck and crushed the miner.
For more information, go to www.msha.gov/Alerts/CoalAlert22013/CoalFatalAlert2013.asp.
