According to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), on June 9, 2021, two miners were fatally injured when a locomotive collided with the personnel carrier in which they were riding. The fatalities, the eighth and nine of 2021, are classified as Powered Haulage.
MSHA offers the following best practices to prevent these types of accidents.
- Install lights or other engineering controls to let miners know when it is safe to travel on track haulageways.
- Implement a communication system so that one person, who is not on any mobile equipment, has the sole authority to authorize travel on track haulageways.
- Establish and maintain effective communication protocols that require identification, location, and intended travel, between locomotives, light vehicles, and foot traffic.
- Train miners on proper traffic patterns and procedures.