Published: August 07, 2008 12:19 am            

Consol cited in fatal coal mining accident

CHARLESTON — Mine operator Consol Energy has been cited for a safety violation that contributed to a fatal coal mining accident in June, a state mine inspector said Wednesday.

Veteran miner Gary Hoffman of Rivesville, 55, was struck and killed June 5 by a loaded rail car at Consol’s Robinson Run No. 95 mine, state mine inspector Alan Lander said at a briefing of the state Board of Coal Mine Health and Safety.

Hoffman was pulling two cars weighing a combined 43.32 tons when the locomotive he was driving began to slide, Lander said.

“We’re not sure what actually caused his slide,” Lander said. “Once he got into his slide, his wheels were all locked up.”

Investigators couldn’t determine whether Hoffman jumped, fell or was thrown from the careening 20-ton locomotive before he was struck in the head by the rear of the second car.

“The impact actually broke the hard hat in two locations,” Lander added.

Consol was cited for a contributing violation because one of the locomotive’s two sanders was plugged and unable to drop sand on the tracks, Lander said. Consol also was cited for five noncontributing violations found in the investigation.

While the state hasn’t assessed a fine, contributing violations carry a penalty up to $10,000.

Consol officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Pittsburgh-based company is one of the largest U.S. coal producers and operates mining complexes in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Utah, Kentucky and Ohio.

The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration also is investigating the accident, but has not issued a report. Lander said MSHA investigators found that both sanders on a locomotive that was following Hoffman into the mine were plugged as well.

The sanders apparently had clogged shortly before the accident, which occurred more than 7 miles into the 30-square-mile underground mine. Hoffman and the driver of a second locomotive that followed him underground had stopped to check the sanders a “couple” times earlier in the trip, Lander said.

A foreman had told both drivers to use the sanders because several days of hot, humid weather and two major air shafts along Hoffman’s route had left the rails wet, Lander said. However, Hoffman declined when the second locomotive operator asked if he wanted to take the added precaution of hitching the trains together.

        

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