Independent Review of MSHA's Actions at Crandall Canyon Mine

place for the Crandall Canyon Mine at the time of the accident was approved on June 13, 2007,
and required the mine to have two hardwired phone systems routed through separate entries.
At the time of the August 6 th accident, the Crandall Canyon Mine also employed a Personal
Emergency Device (PED) system to communicate with miners underground. The PED system
sent a signal from a transmitter through wired antennas that extended throughout entries in
the mine. The signal traveled from the antenna to a receiver installed on certain miners’ cap
lamp batteries. The operator could use the PED system to send messages from the surface to
any miner underground who was equipped with a receiver. Miner(s) who received the
message could not reply through the PED system, as it was only designed for one-way
communication. Still, important information could be sent through the PED, and miner(s)
receiving the message could potentially use mine phones to reply. The PED was a
communication system implemented by the operator that was in addition to the required
hard-wired phones.
On March 13, 2007, a citation was issued at the Crandall Canyon Mine for failure to install a
second hardwired communication system. A secondary system was installed and the citation
was terminated on April 11, 2007. The Crandall Canyon Mine had two hardwired systems and
was in compliance with this provision when the accident occurred on August 6 th . District 9
issued citations to seven other mines for failing to comply with this provision of the MINER
Act prior to the August 6 th accident.
After the bounce at Crandall Canyon on August 6 th , the operator tried without success to
establish communication with the missing miners. Since one of the trapped miners had a PED
receiver, attempts were made using both hardwired phone systems and the PED. There was
no response from the trapped miners. It is likely that both hardwired phone lines were
damaged beyond use by the effects of the bounce, as both mine entries where the lines were
installed were essentially filled with material that was violently expelled from the coal pillars.
Additionally, as described in previous sections of this report, it is likely that the six trapped
miners did not survive the bounce and therefore could not have been communicated with.
When wireless communication systems are approved and installed, there should be controls in
place to ensure security of that system in the event of a mine emergency.
Conclusion: District 9 properly enforced this provision of the MINER Act. All operators in
District 9 had ERPs that addressed post-accident communications.
The communication system in place at the Crandall Canyon Mine complied with the MINER
Act and MSHA's policy, but did not have the intended effect of providing officials and
rescuers a means to contact the trapped miners.
It can not be determined if proposed wireless communication systems have security controls
built into the system.
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