Black Thunder — Accidents

Total: 569 accidents | Fatalities: 4

Date Classification Injury Days Lost Narrative
11/11/2015 IGNITION OR EXPLOSION OF GAS OR DUST ACCIDENT ONLY None While pre-loading the 32nd car of a coal train, an unplanned dust ignition occurred. The pre-load was immediately stopped, the automatic wash system was initiated and the train was moved outside the s...
10/29/2015 HANDLING OF MATERIALS DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 62d restricted employee lifted a sample bag to put it in the back of the truck and felt shoulder pop. NO scheduled work shifts missed. 11/23/2015 EE went to the Chiropractor for evaluation, and was assigned to light...
10/15/2015 STRIKING OR BUMPING NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None The rescue team was conducting plant fire system familiarization training, when an owl flew off an overhead beam and swooped at a technician. His natural reaction was to duck and in the process, his...
10/15/2015 HANDLING OF MATERIALS DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 29d restricted The rescue team was conducting plant fire system familiarization training when a technician's hand was pinched/smashed between the upper and lower sections of the elevator door while pulling it closed...
08/30/2015 HANDLING OF MATERIALS NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None A 2"" X 10' web sling was laying across the hood of the dozer with a 3/4"" shackle attached to one end and the other end on the OH crane hook. The mechanic was pulling the sling across the hood when...
08/11/2015 FIRE ACCIDENT ONLY None A grass fire was discovered in the tall grass above 7&8 North Pre-strip area. The fire was not extinguished within 30 minutes. A motor grader and mine firefighting equipment extinguished the grass f...
08/06/2015 SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None A miner was climbing down a ladder when it shifted forward. The miner fell approximately 6 to 8 feet onto the bed of his pickup. It is possible that he briefly lost consciousness upon impact.
08/05/2015 IGNITION OR EXPLOSION OF GAS OR DUST ACCIDENT ONLY None There was a possible ignition of coal dust in the electrical cabinet of the 18 Shovel when the shovel was restarted after an electrical fault.
07/22/2015 FIRE ACCIDENT ONLY None A fire was discovered in the tall grass above the 6 West pres-trip area. The fire was not extinguished within 30 minutes. A motor-grader and mine firefighting equipment extinguished the fire along wit...
07/22/2015 SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON DAYS AWAY FROM WORK ONLY 85d lost The drill was walking past DL11 when there was an engine failure which caused a fire. The operator shut the key off, actuated the fire suppression system and then immediately jumped out of the offside...
07/21/2015 HANDLING OF MATERIALS NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None The electrician was in the process of opening an 8KV disconnect switch on a substation when his hand slipped off of the throw handle causing the handle to recoil, striking him on the right lower lip....
07/11/2015 FIRE ACCIDENT ONLY None A fire was discovered in the tall grass above the 6 West prestrip area at 1:50pm. The fire was not extinguished within 30 minutes. A motorgrader and mine fire fighting equipment extinguished the fire...
07/07/2015 HANDLING OF MATERIALS DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 62d restricted Employee pinched hand between a hitch ball and trailer coupler. Broke bone in left hand near joint between index finger and palm.
06/25/2015 DISORDERS (REPEATED TRAUMA) OCCUPATNAL ILLNESS NOT DEG 1-6 None The haul truck driver has developed bone spurs and arthritis over a long period of time which has caused a narrowing of the space between the C4 & C5 vertebrae. This narrowed space due to the bone spu...
06/23/2015 SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 61d restricted Ops techs were pulling slack up in the trailing cable with a pu truck with the tech on the ground being inside the slight radius of the cable. The action of the cable forming a straight line between t...
06/23/2015 HANDLING OF MATERIALS DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 53d restricted A pit millwright and a dragline oiler were replacing a spreader bar pin to the upper chain when the weld on the pin's lifting-eye broke. The lifting-eye hit the dragline oiler in the mouth breaking a...
05/09/2015 SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None Employee was working in engine compartment and slipped. Back hit platform causing laceration requiring stitches.
05/02/2015 HANDLING OF MATERIALS DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 64d restricted A mechanic's right middle finger was pinched/smashed when the upper park brake assembly slipped while being removed from the left rear wheel motor on a haul truck. The result was a finger tip fracture...
04/04/2015 SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON DYS AWY FRM WRK & RESTRCTD ACT 4d lost, 41d restricted An equipment operator walked up over a berm and when descending his knee buckled under him. He underwent a medical procedure on 4/8/2015. The procedure followed by restricted duty make this a reporta...
03/17/2015 MACHINERY NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None The tugger cables were being used to pull the front sloped house roof panel back into position when it became stuck. A millwright's left middle finger was pinched between the rope window edge and the...
03/04/2015 HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED) NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None A pit millwright was using a come-a-long to lift a shovel track pad when the hook slipped off the pad striking him on the forehead above the right eye. The result was a laceration requiring stitches.
03/02/2015 IGNITION OR EXPLOSION OF GAS OR DUST DAYS AWAY FROM WORK ONLY 59d lost Employee was clearing airline with methanol when a fire erupted causing burns to his face, neck, chest and hands.
02/15/2015 MACHINERY DAYS AWAY FROM WORK ONLY 24d lost Employee was lifting a sheet of metal with the forklift to place on sawhorses. Sawhorses were not level and when employee tried to level the sheet of metal on them the metal fell and struck the employ...
02/04/2015 SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 40d restricted A haul truck operator was walking from the haul truck to the man-trip at the end of shift when she slipped on a patch of snow covered ice causing her to fall backwards. The left wrist was fractured wh...
02/02/2015 OTHER INJURIES DUE TO NATURAL CAUSES None A mayday was called for an unresponsive haul truck operator at the SH22. A loader operator boarded the haul truck and confirmed there was a medical emergency. He began chest compressions until mine re...
01/22/2015 POWERED HAULAGE NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None A plant millwright was pushing on a wire rope cable to free up the feeder chain that was being pulled by the cable when his glove was pulled into a sheave, lacerating his right thumb, requiring stitch...
01/13/2015 HANDLING OF MATERIALS DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 8d restricted Employee was securing a down line to a wooden stake when a splinter entered the employee's right hand between the thumb and first finger as the employee was sliding his gloved hand along the wooden st...
12/31/2014 HANDLING OF MATERIALS NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None The millwright was adjusting a web sling on the rod of the hydraulic hammer on the IT (Integrated Tool handler) when the rod was tilted downward, pinching/lacerating the millwright's left index finger...
12/30/2014 HANDLING OF MATERIALS NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None The left index finger was lacerated when picking up a piece of broken dozer blade, resulting in 9 stitches.
12/25/2014 HANDLING OF MATERIALS PERM TOT OR PERM PRTL DISABLTY 31d restricted A millwright was replacing dump ropes and links on the arch of bucket. The new dump rope and link were installed and pinned on the left side. While attempting to install the keeper bolt, the rope and...
12/09/2014 MACHINERY DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 7d restricted Employee was using a hydraulic torque wrench (high torque) that slipped off the nut. The employee reached to catch the wrench at which time his left ring finger was pinched between the wrench and drag...
11/20/2014 FIRE ACCIDENT ONLY None A fire lasting approximately 50 minutes was discovered shortly after the primary crusher was unplugged. The stilling shed curtains were burned along with some coal that remained in the hopper.
11/20/2014 ENTRAPMENT ACCIDENT ONLY None At 12:00 noon the HVAC technician was going to the top of the silo in the elevator when the elevator stopped near the top of the silo. The elevator passenger was never in any danger of being injured....
11/03/2014 OTHER NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None Heavy gust of wind blew dust and foreign material into eye requiring removal of material by optometrist.
10/18/2014 HANDLING OF MATERIALS NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None Employee was performing a latch bar adjustment on the 28 shovel. While installing a shim, his right thumb was jolted in the latch bar assembly resulting in a fracture.
10/15/2014 HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED) DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 77d restricted Using pipe wrench to back up while being tightened. Wrench broke and struck worker on left hand. Fractured left index finger
10/14/2014 SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 62d restricted The wash-bay tech tripped and fell while walking backwards as she was guiding a water truck out of the wash-bay. Her left wrist was fractured when her outstretched hand was used to break her fall.
10/06/2014 SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None The haul truck driver fell off the engine compartment ladder landing on the ground on her shoulder. This was a short fall that resulted in pain in her left shoulder. On 7/15/2015 she received medica...
10/03/2014 HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED) NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None An electrician was in the process of cutting the tape off a blower motor connection when the knife slipped and cut through his leather glove resulting in a laceration to his left hand that required st...
09/18/2014 HANDLING OF MATERIALS NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None The mechanic was struck under the chin by a 1"" nut when attempting to pull the right tie rod pin from a haul truck. The result was a chipped tooth and two small lacerations that required stitches.
09/12/2014 HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED) DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 22d restricted While loosening a plug with a ratchet the injured employee felt a pull in his shoulder/neck area which was diagnosed as a strained muscle and resulted in restricted duty.
09/07/2014 FIRE ACCIDENT ONLY None A fire on DR23 was discovered by a nearby loader operator approximately 1 hour after maintenance personal had finished removing the Kelly drive bushing. The fire was discovered at 11:08 and MSHA was...
07/25/2014 HANDLING OF MATERIALS NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None An equipment operator's left middle finger was pinched/smashed while positioning the latch bar on a shovel dipper to change the shim pack. When the latch-lever was lowered onto the prop device, the pr...
06/10/2014 SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None Employee was exiting the change room during a heavy rainfall when he slipped and lost his balance on the stairway landing causing him to fall. The employee received a laceration on his left hand as a...
04/18/2014 HANDLING OF MATERIALS DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 108d restricted The mechanic twisted his right ankle when dismounting the engine access ladder on a haul truck. He received a treatment that makes this injury reportable on 5/9/2014.
03/13/2014 HANDLING OF MATERIALS DAYS AWAY FROM WORK ONLY 209d lost While riffling coal sample, employee lifted the hinged door (approx. 1 - 2 lbs.) to riffle and complained of shoulder pain afterwards 03/28/14 Dr. ordered tests and restriction - do not return to w...
03/07/2014 HANDLING OF MATERIALS NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None The mechanic was pulling a wheeled oil drain cart across the shop floor when a wheel hit a small obstacle on the floor causing the handle he was pulling on to deflect. This unexpected movement pinche...
02/17/2014 POWERED HAULAGE NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None The teeth on the shovel bucket hooked the side of the truck bed jarring the operator in the cab of the truck. On January 28, 2015 the operator received medical treatment that makes this incident a me...
02/13/2014 HANDLING OF MATERIALS PERM TOT OR PERM PRTL DISABLTY 8d restricted The haul truck operator's hand was grabbing onto the hydraulic tank ladder at the hinge point when the tech stepped on the bottom rung causing the ladder to settle against the stops. This movement at...
12/29/2013 MACHINERY DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 35d restricted The technician's shoulder was jarred when the dozer he was operating rolled onto its side. He returned to work continuing his normal duties until he underwent a procedure and returned on June 6, 2014...