Jun 29, 2015 4 min read

MT. MORRIS – A longtime employee of Dana Mining Co. died early Sunday of injuries he suffered when an airlock door fell on him inside the company’s 4 West Mine near Mt. Morris.

After completing its preliminary investigation, the state Department of Environmental Protection issued four compliance orders to the company in connection with the fatality

John William “Bill” Kelly, 55, of Albright, W.Va., was pronounced dead at 1:43 a.m. in the emergency room at Southwest Regional Medical Center in Waynesburg, Greene County Coroner Greg Rohanna said. An autopsy conducted Sunday determined Kelly’s death was caused by crushing blunt force trauma, Rohanna said.

Kelly was employed by the company for “10 plus” years, said Brian M. Osborn, senior vice president of operations for Mepco Inc., of which Dana Mining Co. is an affiliate.

“We at the company are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague,” Osborn said. “During this very difficult time, we extend our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to Bill’s family, to all our employees and to all who knew Bill.”

The DEP’s Bureau of Mine Safety and federal Mine Safety and Health Administration are investigating the fatality.

“The company is fully cooperating in the investigation into the circumstance that led to this accident,” Osborn said.

Operations at the mine have been suspended ever since the accident occurred about 12:15 a.m., the company said.

Kelly was working as a supply man using a diesel scoop to haul supplies to the mining units, according to DEP spokesman John Poister.

“He was traveling through a set of airlock doors and, while closing the doors, the doors and framework fell on him causing crushing injuries,” Poister said in an email.

The doors are made of steel and are part of a structure of two doors that allow miners to cross from an area of the mine where there is high pressure to one of low pressure without disrupting the mine’s ventilation system, Osborn said. A miner would normally enter one door, close it, then open the other to enter a different ventilation zone, he said.

As part of its preliminary investigation, DEP issued five compliance orders to the company, four of which were in connection to the fatality, Poister said.

The orders allege the air lock doors were not properly installed and not bolted to the roof; that both doors were open contrary to law to allow Kelly’s scoop and supply wagon to pass through them; and that there was loose gravel in the travel-way that created a hazard. The fourth indicated Kelly did not have a headliner in his hard hat.

DEP and MSHA are continuing the investigation, Poister said. DEP inspectors throughout the region are now examining ventilation doors in all mines to make sure they are properly installed and functioning, he said.

The 4 West Mine has been in operation since 2005 and has been operated by Dana Mining since 2008. Prior to Sunday’s accident, the mine has never had a fatality, according to information on MSHA’s website.

The operation mines Sewickley seam coal in Greene County. The mine employs about 407 people and last year mined 1.6 million tons of coal, according to MSHA.

Because this mining complex is so large, it is inspected four days a week by a DEP’s district mine inspectors, Poister said.

Since the fourth quarter of 2014, the mine has received 15 compliance orders and 33 notices of violation covering a variety of issues. The notice of violations are for items found by an inspector, brought to the attention of the operator and corrected the same day, Poister said.

The company also voluntarily at the direction of DEP formed a special detail to scale loose rock and install additional roof support to protect the miners underground, Poister said. Starting in March, 85 areas have been identified as needing additional support and have been corrected, he said.

The last fatality at a Greene County coal mine was six years ago, on June 23, 2009, when a 54-year-old miner died in a roof fall at Consol Energy’s Bailey Mine.

There have been seven deaths in U.S. coal mines this year, not including Sunday’s fatality, according to MSHA. Two of the seven deaths this year were at coal mines in Pennsylvania. Last year, there were 16 coal mining deaths nationwide.