West Elk Mine — Accidents

Total: 408 accidents | Fatalities: 2

Date Classification Injury Days Lost Narrative
11/03/2013 MACHINERY DAYS AWAY FROM WORK ONLY 163d lost Employee experienced sharp pain in sacrum area and numbness in toe/foot after pulverizing. This claim is being disputed. It may be related to a previous injury.
08/16/2013 FALL OF ROOF OR BACK ACCIDENT ONLY None A reportable roof fall was found in E South Mains, entry 6, crosscut 28. The fall was approximately 10' high, 20' wide and 25' long.
06/28/2013 HOISTING ACCIDENT ONLY None Hoist became inoperable at 8:15 p.m.. Upon investigation it was found that switch synchronization would not occur properly. Programming was corrected making the hoist fully operational at 11:45 p.m.
05/03/2013 ALL OTHER OCCUPATIONAL ILLNESSES OCCUPATNAL ILLNESS NOT DEG 1-6 None Employee alleges that he has occupational asthma as the result of being exposed to dust and fumes in the working section.
04/02/2013 HOISTING ACCIDENT ONLY None A power surge on the feed line tripped circuit breakers to the hoist. The main external circuit breaker was reset but not the internal circuit breaker. A qualified person was sent from the mine site t...
01/06/2013 FALL OF ROOF OR BACK ACCIDENT ONLY None A roof fall occurred in inactive workings in F-Seam, entry 7, crosscut 14 to 15 in the Southwest Main Returns. The roof fall in inactive works partially damaged an adjacent stopping.
11/05/2012 FALL OF ROOF OR BACK ACCIDENT ONLY None A reportable roof fall was found in E4 Headgate, entry 1, crosscut 19 to 20. The fall was approximately 10 to 12 feet high, 20 feet wide and 30 feet long.
07/30/2012 FALL OF ROOF OR BACK ACCIDENT ONLY None A reportable roof fall occurred at F-Seam, #71 XC, between entries 5 and 4. The fall was approximately 17' wide, by 20' to 25' long, by 6.5' to 7' high.
07/12/2012 ENTRAPMENT ACCIDENT ONLY None While operator was conducting a shaft inspection from the hoist inspection deck, a tree struck the surface power line causing an underground power outage. The person performing the shaft inspection w...
06/23/2012 FALL OF ROOF OR BACK ACCIDENT ONLY None A reportable roof fall was found in E Seam, E4 Headgate, entry 1, between crosscuts 20 and 21. The cap rock failure prevented access through the belt entry. The cap rock failure was approximately 20...
06/20/2012 HANDLING OF MATERIALS DYS AWY FRM WRK & RESTRCTD ACT 67d lost, 136d restricted Employee was cleaning behind a door. Another employee entered the room carrying a heavy box. The door swung and the door handle hit employee in the lower back. Employee worked through the shift and th...
06/12/2012 POWERED HAULAGE DAYS AWAY FROM WORK ONLY 2d lost Riding in the back of a mantrip at the end of his shift when EE hit his head against the top of the mantrip jamming his neck when the mantrip hit a bump.
05/07/2012 POWERED HAULAGE NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None EE states he had hand on hydraulic boom and leaned over fork truck to check position of hitch. Another employee rolled the forks back, catching EE's left ring finger between the barrel and the eye of...
04/12/2012 HOISTING ACCIDENT ONLY None While performing system checks on the automatic hoist at Shaft #1, a programming glitch occurred, making the hoist inoperable. The programming glitch was identified and corrected, allowing the hoist t...
04/10/2012 FALL OF ROOF OR BACK ACCIDENT ONLY None A reportable roof fall was found in F Seam, entry 5, between crosscuts 25 and 26. The fall was approximately 20' long, 18' wide, and 6.5' high.
03/26/2012 HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED) NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None EMPLOYEE STATES THAT AS HE WAS CUTTING A PIECE OF WOOD WITH AN AX, HE STRUCK HIS LEFT INDEX FINGER, RESULTING IN A LACERATION REQUIRING SUTURES.
02/25/2012 HANDLING OF MATERIALS NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None EMPLOYEE WAS INSTALLING A CLAMP ON A STEEL CABLE. THE NUT WAS STARTED ON THE U-BOLT. INDIVIDUAL RELEASED HIS HOLD AND REACHED FOR A WRENCH TO COMPLETE TIGHTENING THE NUT. NUT CAME OFF, RELEASING TH...
02/18/2012 FALL OF ROOF OR BACK ACCIDENT ONLY None When advancing tailgate shields during normal mining, the immediate roof fell in front of the last four shields, preventing access to the tailgate entry from the longwall face.
01/20/2012 MACHINERY NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None Employee alleges he was operating the tailgate shearer drum as the shear cut toward the tailgate. When the face popped ejecting a piece of coal approximately 8 X 4 X 2 striking employee on the left s...
01/05/2012 HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED) NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None EMPLOYEE STATES HE WAS CUTTING TABS OFF A SCREEN PANEL USING A UTILITY KNIFE WHEN KNIFE SLIPPED, RESULTING IN A LACERATION TO HIS LEFT RING FINGER REQUIRING SUTURES.
12/02/2011 FALL OF ROOF OR BACK DYS AWY FRM WRK & RESTRCTD ACT 18d lost, 9d restricted EE's hand was on the rail when a piece of coal hit his hand smashing his index finger.
11/18/2011 HANDLING OF MATERIALS NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None PRINCIPAL STATES HE WAS RAISING A 20' PIECE OF 6"" STEEL PIPE ONTO BED OF BOOM TRUCK WHEN PIPE BECAME UNHOOKED, FALLING TO THE GROUND AND STRIKING HIS RIGHT ANKLE, RESULTING IN A LACERATION REQUIRING...
11/13/2011 IGNITION OR EXPLOSION OF GAS OR DUST ACCIDENT ONLY None While cutting towards the headgate with the longwall shearer, sparks from the cutting drum apparently ignited hydrocarbons coming from the roof resulting in a fire. The fire was extinguished in appro...
11/08/2011 IGNITION OR EXPLOSION OF GAS OR DUST ACCIDENT ONLY None While cutting towards the headgate with the longwall shearer, a rock scour was encountered. Sparks from the cutting drum apparently ignited hydrocarbons coming from the roof resulting in a fire. The...
10/27/2011 HANDLING OF MATERIALS DAYS AWAY FROM WORK ONLY 14d lost Hand loading 6"" aqua line when he felt pop in left shoulder. Employee continued to work until left shoulder started hurting more 11/7/11 and was checked by a doctor 11/7/11.
09/24/2011 FALL OF ROOF OR BACK ACCIDENT ONLY None A reportable roof fall was found in E South Mains, entry 2, at crosscut 20. The fall was approximately 20' long, 20' wide, and 10' high.
09/15/2011 FALL OF ROOF OR BACK ACCIDENT ONLY None During the weekly examination, a reportable roof fall was found in E10 Headgate, entry 1 to 2, at crosscut 3. The fall was approximately 30' long, 10' high, and 18' wide.
07/27/2011 HANDLING OF MATERIALS NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None EMPLOYEE STATES THAT AS HE WAS PLACING A CRIB BLOCK UNDER THE EMULSION TANK, HIS FINGER CAUGHT BETWEEN THE BLOCK AND THE TANK, RESULTING IN AN AVULSION TO THE TIP OF HIS LEFT INDEX FINGER.
06/09/2011 SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON FATALITY Fatal Working on a structure 15' high & was safely tied off to structure, when he completed his work, instead of stepping onto platform from beam he was standing on while tied off - he untied and then stepp...
06/04/2011 HANDLING OF MATERIALS DAYS AWAY FROM WORK ONLY 4d lost Moving caps, wedges and crib block though man door at 3 entry 71 xc E-3 HG, when he felt pain in his stomach that got worse while moving this material.
05/03/2011 FALL OF ROOF OR BACK ACCIDENT ONLY None A reportable roof fall was found in E3 startline, entry 1, crosscut 3. The fall was approximately 30 feet long, 20 feet wide and 14 feet high.
03/26/2011 HANDLING OF MATERIALS NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None EE states he was checking sample system. As he opened door on sampling system, the cutter activated pushing employee's head against door frame, resulting in a laceration to the left ear which require...
03/26/2011 HANDLING OF MATERIALS DAYS AWAY FROM WORK ONLY 37d lost Employee states he was pulling hose out of the mud, when he felt a pop in his lower back, resulting in a muscle strain.
03/17/2011 FALL OF ROOF OR BACK NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None EE STATES AS HE WAS INSTALLING ROOF BOLT, HE HAD TO REACH IN BETWEEN THE SCREEN AND ROOF TO GET HIS GLUE INTO THE HOLE. AS HE REACHED UP, A PIECE OF ROCK FELL FROM THE ROOF, STRIKING HIS LEFT FOREARM...
02/25/2011 HANDLING OF MATERIALS DYS AWY FRM WRK & RESTRCTD ACT 651d lost, 30d restricted Lab Tech was crushing a sample. The buckets were heavier than usual, a 40# bucket of coal crushed into a 21# pan made for a 60# lift. Employee felt something in her abdomen 'pop'. On further investiga...
02/14/2011 FALL OF ROOF OR BACK ACCIDENT ONLY None A reportable roof fall was found in E2 Headgate, entry 1, at crosscut 60. The fall was approximately 16' wide, 35' long, and up to 9' high.
01/13/2011 HANDLING OF MATERIALS NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None EMPLOYEE STATES HE WAS LIFTING A PILLOW BLOCK BEARING CAP WHEN HIS GRIP SLIPPED, PULLING HIS RIGHT HAND DOWN. RIGHT RING FINGER WAS CAUGHT BETWEEN BEARING CAP AND BEARING SURFACE, RESULTING IN A LACE...
01/03/2011 MACHINERY DAYS AWAY FROM WORK ONLY 20d lost SHEARER STRUCK SPRAG BREAKING A COVER PLATE LOOSE, STRIKING EMPLOYEE ON THE RIGHT FOOT, RESULTING IN A FRACTURE. FRACTURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED UNTIL 01/19/2011. FIRST DAY MISSED WILL BE 01/21/2011.
12/11/2010 MACHINERY NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None EMPLOYEE STATES WHILE OPERATING TG END OF SHEARER, COAL DUST ENTERED EYE, RESULTING IN PHYSICIAN INTERVENTION TO HAVE A PIECE OF COAL REMOVED FROM CORNER OF RIGHT EYE.
11/25/2010 MACHINERY PERM TOT OR PERM PRTL DISABLTY 11d lost EMPLOYEE STATES HE WAS REPAIRING ACTUATOR ON DUST SYSTEM WHEN ACTUATOR BECAME ACTIVATED, CATCHING HIS FINGERS, RESULTING IN A PARTIAL AMPUTATION OF LEFT MIDDLE FINGER AND FRACTURE OF RING FINGER.
09/23/2010 HANDLING OF MATERIALS NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None Bottle of cleaning solution had damage to screw top lid. Bottle slipped from employee's hand to the floor and solution splashed up into employee's face and eye.
09/16/2010 HANDLING OF MATERIALS DAYS AWAY FROM WORK ONLY 5d lost Pouring concrete for pad to put belt components on, where concrete worked into eyelets on leather boots over a period of time causing burns.
09/16/2010 FALL OF ROOF OR BACK ACCIDENT ONLY None During the weekly examination, a reporatable roof fall was found in E10 Headgate, entry 2, crosscut 2. The fall was approximately 20 feet wide, 20 feet long and 12 feet high.
08/24/2010 SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON DYS AWY FRM WRK & RESTRCTD ACT 2d lost, 1d restricted Employee was kneeling and stood up. Stepped on harness lanyard. Fell forward hitting left knee.
08/11/2010 SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON DAYS AWAY FROM WORK ONLY 82d lost EMPLOYEE STATES SHE WAS LOADING AIR PUMP ONTO BACK OF TRUCK WHEN SHE LOST HER FOOTING. SHE FELL TO THE GROUND AND THE AIR PUMP LANDED ON TOP OF HER RIGHT LITTLE FINGER.
08/11/2010 FALL OF ROOF OR BACK ACCIDENT ONLY None When longwall tailgate shields were lowered for advancement, roof rock fell from above the shields, resulting in a tailgate blockage. Blockage occurred in entry 3, inby crosscut 53, E1 Headgate.
08/05/2010 HANDLING OF MATERIALS NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None EE was trying to get a cap off conveyor and when the binding came free he smashed his left hand, middle finger and it required 5 stitches. There is no lost time on this. He was released back to work w...
06/20/2010 FALL OF ROOF OR BACK ACCIDENT ONLY None A reportable roof fall was found in E South Mains, entry 2, at crosscut 27. The fall was approximately 20 feet wide, 20 feet long, and 6 to 8 feet high.
05/18/2010 SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 5d restricted Employee states he was welding on a refuse bin and slipped in the mud when relocating the bin. The employee jammed his right thumb as he was attempting to stop his fall, hyper extending his thumb. Emp...
04/30/2010 SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None Employee states while prying up on stater housing to the Tek-Seal pump with a pick, the pick slipped causing employee to fall on his right wrist, resulting in a fracture.