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Accident Reporting

Definitions
§ 45.1-161.292:2 - "Accident" means (i) a death of an individual at a mine; (ii) a serious personal injury; (iii) an entrapment of an individual for more than thirty minutes; (iv) an unplanned inundation of a mine by liquid or gas; (v) an unplanned ignition or explosion of gas or dust; (vi) an unplanned mine fire not extinguished within thirty minutes of discovery; (vii) an unplanned ignition or explosion of a blasting agent or an explosive; (viii) an unplanned roof fall at or above the anchorage zone in active workings where roof bolts are in use; or an unplanned roof or rib fall in active workings that impairs ventilation or impedes passage; (ix) a rock outburst that causes withdrawal of miners or which disrupts regular mining activity for more than one hour; (x) an unstable condition at an impoundment or refuse pile which requires emergency action in order to prevent failure, or which causes individuals to evacuate an area; or, failure of an impoundment, or refuse pile; (xi) damage to hoisting equipment in a shaft or slope which endangers an individual or which interferes with use of the equipment for more than thirty minutes; and (xii) an event at a mine which causes death or bodily injury to an individual not at a mine at the time the event occurs.

§ 45.1-161.292:2 - "Serious personal injury" means any injury which has a reasonable potential to cause death or any injury other than a sprain or strain which requires an admission to a hospital for twenty-four hours or more for medical treatment.

Medical treatment injury- refers to accidents and injuries that do not result in serious personal injury or death. Medical treatment injuries are all other injuries that require some form of medical treatment beyond normal first aid that is supplied at the mine. (medical treatment injury is not defined in the code or regulations)

Reporting of Serious Personal Injury or Fatal Accidents (4VAC25-40-50.1)
The mine operator must report any accident involving serious personal injury or death to any person on the mine property. The report shall be made to the division by the quickest available means, and the scene of the accident shall not be disturbed until an investigation is conducted by the division. For accidents where the injured person is transported to a hospital, but confinement is not expected, the operator may either preserve the scene or collect relevant physical data and photographs as specified by the division. The division shall be notified immediately upon learning that the injured person has been admitted to the hospital for medical treatment. Head injuries that result in loss of consciousness at the site shall be reported immediately. For additional information on preserving the scene of an accident and data collection see Communication Memorandum No. 1-98.

Statutory Authority - §45.1-161.292:51 of the Code of Virginia.

Serious injury or fatality reporting procedure
Mineral mine operators must report serious personal injuries and fatalities to the Division of Mineral Mining (DMM) by the fastest possible means. To provide this notification you must continue to call DMM staff until you speak to someone or until a DMM staff person returns your call. When an answering machine or answering service answers your call, you must leave a message identifying yourself , your telephone number, the mine name or location and the fact that you are trying to report an accident. Office and home telephone numbers for Mine Inspectors and various other DMM staff are located in the Mine Emergency Rescue and Recovery Plan provided to each mine operator by the Division of Mineral Mining.

DMM staff should be called in the following order until contact is made:

1. DMM office in Charlottesville at 434-951-6310.
2. Mine Inspector for the particular site.
3. Mine Inspector Supervisor for the district where the mine is located.
4. Mine Inspector Supervisor for the other district.
5. DMM Division Director, Mr. Conrad Spangler.
6. Engineering Manager, Mr. Tom Bibb.
7. Safety Engineer, Mr. Jeffrey Stewart.

Information to report for a serious or fatal injury

Communication Memorandum No. 1-98 - Reporting of Accidents and Injuries

Medical Treatment Accident Reporting Procedure

4VAC25-40-50.2 - Reporting of other medical treatment injuries
The operator must keep on file a report of all accidents and occupational injuries occurring on the mine property for review by the division mine inspector. Such records shall be kept for five years.

Statutory Authority - §45.1-161.292:52 of the Code of Virginia.

Reports of routine medical treatment accidents must be maintained by the mine operator. A copy of these reports must also be provided to the Division of Mineral Mining office in Charlottesville. These reports must be submitted to the DMM office as the accidents occur and the reports are compiled.

Reports may be submitted on a company form, the workmen's compensation accident report form, the Mine Safety and Health Administration accident reporting form or you may use the DMM Accident Report form.

Medical treatment injury reports may be mailed to the Division of Mineral Mining at the following address:

Division of Mineral Mining
900 Natural Resources Drive, Ste. 400
Charlottesville, Virginia 22903-0727

Medical treatment injury reports may be submitted to the Division of Mineral Mining by fax at 434-951-6325.

Reports of Explosions and Mine Fires ( §45.1-161.292:50)

1. If an explosion or mine fire occurs in a mine, the operator shall notify the Department by the quickest available means. Independent contractors shall notify the licensed operator of such incidents. All facilities of the mine shall be made available for rescue and recovery operations and fire fighting.
2. No work other than rescue and recovery work and fire fighting may be attempted or started until and unless it is authorized by the Department.
3. If an explosion occurs in an underground mine, the fan shall not be reversed except by authority of the officials in charge of rescue and recovery work, and then only after a study of the effect of reversing the fan on any persons who may have survived the explosion and are still underground.
4. The orders of the official in charge of rescue and recovery work shall be respected and obeyed by all persons engaged in rescue and recovery work.

Mine explosion and mine fire reporting procedure
Mineral mine operators must report mine explosions or mine fires to the Division of Mineral Mining (DMM) by the fastest possible means. To provide this notification you must continue to call DMM staff until you speak to someone or until a DMM staff person returns your call. When an answering machine or answering service answers your call, you must leave a message identifying yourself , your telephone number, the mine name or location and the fact that you are trying to report a mine explosion or mine fire. Office and home telephone numbers for Mine Inspectors and various other DMM staff are located in the Mine Emergency Rescue and Recovery Plan provided to each mine operator by the Division of Mineral Mining.

DMM staff should be called in the following order until contact is made:

1. DMM office in Charlottesville at 434-951-6310.
2. Mine Inspector for the particular site.
3. Mine Inspector Supervisor for the district where the mine is located.
4. Mine Inspector Supervisor for the other district.
5. DMM Division Director, Mr. Conrad Spangler.
6. Engineering Manager, Mr. Tom Bibb.
7. Safety Engineer, Mr. Jeffrey Stewart.

Information to Report for a Mine Explosion or Mine Fire
Mine Emergency Rescue and Recovery Plan

§ 45.1-161.292:52 - Individual miners responsibility to report accidents and injuries
Each miner employed at a mine shall promptly notify his supervisor of any injury received during the course of his employment.

Accident Abstracts

The accident abstracts below are designed to inform Virginia’s mineral mining industry of some of the accidents occurring on mineral mine sites.  Each abstract provides a synopsis of the accident, photos of the accident scene, and steps that should be taken to avoid similar accidents in the future.  DMM encourages you to examine these accidents carefully and use them in safety talks and training sessions to educate others on safety procedures.

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Accident Summaries and Abstracts
1.	Fatal Accidents
NEW!	Over-the-Road Truck Operator - 2/2/07
	Equipment Mechanic - 4/1/05
	Fall - 11/20/03
	Drowning - 9/9/01
2.	Serious Injury Accidents
	Contractor Seriously Burned Repairing Mobile Equipment - Winter 2006
	Construction Worker Fall Accident - 3/22/06
	Poisonous Snake Bite - 8/17/04
	Mobile Equipment Accident - 6/2/04
	Slip/Fall Accident - 4/12/04
	Mobile Equipment Accident - 7/30/02
	Fall Accident - 5/14/02
	Slip/Fall Accident - 3/11/02
	Slip/Fall Accident - 2/12/02
	Slip/Fall Accident - 2/6/02
	Drilling - 6/25/01
3.	Medical Treatment Accidents (Non-Serious Injury)
	Fall Accident - 6/12/02
	Pump Accident - 6/6/02
	Machinery - 4/23/02
	Machinery - 11/10/01
4.	Close Calls
	Mobile Equipment Accident - 5/15/02
	Electrical - 5/22/01
5.	Hazard Alerts
	Fall Accident - 6/05

For additional information about the Division of Mineral Mining, call (434) 951-6310 or by e-mail.