Tag: Coal Fatality

MSHA: Death At W.Va. Mine Caused By Lack Of Safety Policies

A federal investigation released Tuesday found that a lack of safety procedures at a West Virginia mine led to a contractor being fatally run over by a trailer earlier this year.

The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration said the death of 50-year-old James Campbell at the Federal No 2 Mine in Morgantown happened because his company didn’t have effective safety and communication policies.

MSHA’s report said Campbell, a maintenance supervisor with Country Roads Transportation, was at the mine to load a rock truck on February 27. He was run over while in the blind spot of a tractor and trailer.

Country Roads Transportation has developed and trained employees on safety procedures that include communicating and keeping clear of mobile equipment when it is engaged, according to the report.

Report: Unsecure Wall Killed Miner in West Virginia

A federal report says the wall that crushed a miner to death in West Virginia earlier this year wasn’t properly supported.

The U.S. Department of Labor report released Thursday says the February 6 death of 52-year-old Leonard W. Griffith was the result of an unsupported 18-feet-by-7-feet (5.49-meters-by-2.13-meters) mine wall falling down. Citing the report, the Charleston Gazette-Mail says Griffith had been performing “routine maintenance” when the wall fell and pinned him beneath it.

Griffith had been working at Sentinel Mine, an underground mine in Barbour County owned by Wolf Run Mining LLC. Wolf Run has been cited for violated federal standards that protect miners against working under unsupported roofs or walls. The report says the mine operator has altered support plans to secure the mine’s walls.

W.Va. Miner Killed After Accident at Pa. Coal Mine

Authorities say a coal miner was killed over the weekend in an accident at a mine in southwestern Pennsylvania.

At approximately 12:15 AM on June 28, 2015, John William “Bill” Kelly, 55 years old, of Albright, West Virginia a long-term employee of Mepco, LLC, was fatally injured. According to a release from Mepco, Kelly died in an accident at the Company’s 4 West Mine located near Mount Morris, Pennsylvania. In the release, Mepco also released this statement:

"We at the Company are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague.  During this very difficult time, we extend our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to Bill’s family, to all our employees, and to all who knew Bill."

Operations at the mine were suspended as of 11:00 a.m. Sunday morning. The Green County coroner’s office says Kelly died shortly after 1:30 a.m. Sunday in the emergency room at Southwest Regional Medical Center.

Authorities said Kelly had been injured while working at a mine in Mount Morris.

The coroner’s office said preliminary information indicates that he was injured by “some type of air shaft/mine door coming down upon him.”

The cause and manner of death are pending a final autopsy.

Kelly is the eighth coal miner to die in the U.S. this year.

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