Mining Fatalities and Mine Accident Prevention
Fatal mine accidents, although unfortunate for all, can serve as a tool to train miners in hazard recognition, accident causes, and accident prevention. A cross section of fatal accidents from both coal and metal/non-metal were chosen to demonstrate various hazards that resulted in fatalities. These fatal accidents were expanded into training presentations using a variety of methods to encourage participation and thoughts from students. Some methods incorporated include the use of:
- Handouts and small group interaction to identify potential hazards, fatal mistakes and causal factors.
- MSHA “Target Program” videos and photos allowing participants to understand MSHA priorities and “Best Practices”.
- A presentation that has participants identify unsafe conditions, unsafe procedures and root causes (separate from the MSHA root cause).
- Embedded videos and presentations using limited information to stimulate thought concerning accident causes.
All presentations encourage individual participation and going beyond MSHA conclusions for accident causation. Please refer to the table below to view mining fatality presentations: