Independent Review of MSHA's Actions at Crandall Canyon Mine

RECENT COAL MINING FATALITIES
During calendar years 2006 and 2007, the coal industry suffered a tragic increase in fatalities.
In CY 2006, 47 coal miners lost their lives while working in our Nation’s coal mines. Of these
47 fatalities, 19 were the result of three horrific events in which multiple fatalities occurred.
On January 2, 2006, twelve miners lost their lives as a result of an explosion at the Sago Mine.
Seventeen days later, on January 19, 2006, two miners lost their lives following a mine fire at
the Aracoma Alma Mine # 1. Four months later, on May 20, 2006, five additional miners lost
their lives during the industry’s second explosion of CY 2006 at the Darby Mine No. 1. These
three major events accounted for 40 % of the coal fatalities in CY 2006.
In CY 2007, 33 miners lost their lives in our Nation’s coal mines. The August 6 th accident at the
Crandall Canyon Mine claimed the lives of six miners and the subsequent accident on August
16 th resulted in the deaths of three rescue workers. There were three other accidents that
resulted in more than one fatality in CY 2007. On January 13, 2007, two miners were fatally
injured as a result of a fall of roof accident at Brooks Run Mining Company LLC’s Cucumber
Mine. On April 17, 2007, two miners’ lives were lost during a fall of highwall incident at Tri-
Star Mining Inc.’s Job #3. On August 10, 2007, three miners died in an accident during
construction of a shaft at Gibson County Coal LLC’s Gibson Mine. These four accidents
accounted for 48.4 % of the fatalities in CY 2007.
The number of multiple fatality accidents since CY 1995 has progressively increased. The
following table shows the number of accidents involving multiple fatalities by calendar year
since 1995:
Calendar
Year
# of Multiple
Fatality Events Calendar
Year
135
# of Multiple
Fatality Events
2007 4 2000 0
2006 3 1999 1
2005 2 1998 1
2004 0 1997 1
2003 2 1996 1
2002 0 1995 1
2001 1