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Coal Company Cited By W.Va For Coal Slurry Death
By: Associated Press
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A coal company has been cited by federal mining regulators for the November 2012 collapse of a Harrison County coal slurry impoundment that left a miner dead.
Dozer operator Markel Koon of Shinnstown and his machine were swept into the impoundment when an embankment collapsed at the Robinson Run Mine's Nolan Round impoundment near Lumberport. He was 58.
The Charleston Gazette reports that U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration investigators cited Consolidation Coal Co. for three alleged violations. The death occurred when the impoundment was operated by a subsidiary of Pittsburgh-based CONSOL Energy.
According to a report provided to family members on Wednesday, mine management tried to expand a coal-slurry impoundment faster than was considered safe, and continued the work despite warnings that the site was becoming unstable.