DALLAS, W.Va. — The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration determined a fatal accident inside the Ohio County Mine in Dallas occurred because of a lack of written policies and procedures for repairs.
Darrin Reece, a 36-year-old section supervisor, was killed on April 3 when he was pinned against a scoop after being struck by a longwall shield. Reece was conducting repairs on the scoop when the shield partially loaded onto it was struck by another scoop, leaving him trapped between the shield’s canopy and the first scoop’s glancer bars.
After miners lifted the canopy off of Reece, he was transported out of the mine with aid rendered before an EMT could meet the vehicle at the mine entrance. The EMT did not detect a pulse, and following CPR, Reece was pronounced dead at 11:18 a.m.
Investigators determined that the mine operator, Ohio County Coal Resources, Inc., did not maintain written procedures or policies for performing equipment repairs in an active tram roadway, and there were no barricades, blocking, or warning lights set up to prevent other vehicles from entering the area. There was no communication between scoop operators that the repair was being done.
MSHA found the lack of written policies and procedures to be the root cause of the accident. A safeguard was issued addressing longwall setup and recovery with regard to work on scoops and mobile equipment, and all impacted miners received training on the safeguard’s requirements.