He attempted to radio Brown, but received no response.
#Dredge ronnie r portable#
(See Appendix B) Based on the location of the portable pump, the investigators concluded that Brown intended to pump the stern pontoon.Īt approximately 7:14 p.m., Raley noticed that the output from the suction dredge had dropped off. The investigators found a portable bilge pump in the starboard compartment of the stern pontoon. Brown handed Bachman the radio and Bachman left the suction dredge.Īpproximately 6:53 p.m., Raley radioed Brown to relay flow information, and Brown told Raley that he was going to see clear water, because he was going to pump out the pontoon. Bachman then left the suction dredge, but returned when he discovered that he left his portable radio. Bachman released some tension on the stern-line and brought the pontoon up about four inches above the water line. Bachman stated in his interview that when Brown relieved him, he told Brown that the walking surface of the starboard side of the stern pontoon was around one inch below the water surface. Brown operated the suction dredge, Raley went to the control room, and Rumley and Strasser were the groundsmen for the first rotation.Īt approximately 6:30 p.m., after the safety meeting, Brown drove out to the impoundment, referred to as pond 3C (see Appendix A), to begin operating the suction dredge and relieve William Bachman, Plant Operator. Employees rotated positions every three to four hours during the shift, in accordance with Coalview’s procedures. Ronald Coleman, Night Shift Supervisor, conducted a safety meeting with the night shift workcrew: Brown Gregory Raley, Plant Operator Mathew Rumley, Plant Operator and Steven Strasser, Plant Operator. Brown began his shift on December 29, 2018, at approximately 6:00 p.m. The non-fatal days lost (NFDL) incidence rate for the mine for 2017 was zero (0) compared to the national average of 0.78 for mines of this type. MSHA last inspected the dredge on November 29, 2018. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) started the last regular inspection at this operation on Novemand completed it on February 19, 2019. The principal officers for Coalview at the time of the accident were: The principal officers for Trans Alta at the time of the accident were:īob Nelson. The contractor operates 5 days per week with two 12-hour shifts per day and employs 23 miners. The material is used by a coal-fired power generation plant.Ĭoalview Centralia LLC (Coalview) is a contractor hired by Trans Alta to suction dredge fine coal refuse from Centralia’s impoundments. Fine coal slurry is reclaimed from onsite impoundments, processed and mixed with coal shipped by rail to the plant from various locations in the western United States. Trans Alta operates 7 days per week with 4 crews alternating 12-hour shifts, (4 days on and 4 days off), and employs 12 miners.
Trans Alta Centralia Mining LLC (Trans Alta) owns and operates the Centralia Coal Mine (Centralia), a surface coal processing operation located near Centralia, Lewis County, Washington.
The accident occurred because: 1) the mine contractor did not have sufficient policies or procedures to maintain the suction dredge’s pontoons, bilge pumps, and dredge operator’s compartment doors to safely conduct mining operations, and 2) the mine contractor conducted inadequate on shift examinations and took no action to correct hazardous conditions. Brown, a 25-year-old Plant Operator with 21 weeks of experience, drowned on Decemat 7:59 p.m., after the suction dredge he was operating sank in an impoundment pond.
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