CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration announced it will propose a rule Wednesday calling for proximity detection systems on underground coal hauling systems used in mines to prevent injuries to miners.
The detection technology uses electronic sensors to detect motion and the distance between a miner and a machine. If necessary, the machines will stop before miners can get crushed and injured or killed.
According to MSHA, between 1984 and 2014, pinning, crushing and striking accidents killed 42 miners and injured 179 others. In 2010 to 2014, accidents killed nine miners in 41 cases, 23 involved coal hauling machines and 18 involved scoops.
“We know this technology works as a number of mine operators have already installed proximity detection systems on coal hauling machines and scoops,” said Kevin Stricklin, MSHA’s administrator for Coal Mine Safety and Health. “We hope to learn from their experiences during the public comment period.”
Thirty-six months after the rule goes into effect, all hauling machines and scoops would need to be in compliance.