Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, November 9, 1993 TAG: 9311090031
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MICHAEL STOWE and BRIAN KELLEY STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: RIPPLEMEAD LENGTH: Medium
APG Lime Corp.'s failure to control roof conditions at its Kimballton mine caused the accident, according to the Mine Safety and Health Administration.
"Mine operators are well aware of the precautions they must undertake to make sure the mine roof is secure," Ed Hugler, deputy assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health, said in a news release. "This tragedy could have been prevented if management had acted on the information available and adhered to federal safety regulations and procedures."
Brian Keith Ratcliffe, 28, and Timothy Wayne Francis, 41, were killed in the accident, which occurred in a tunnel nearly a quarter of a mile below the surface.
Ratcliffe, a Pearisburg native, had worked for the company since 1987; Francis, from Peterstown, W.Va., had been there for 17 years.
A report from Virginia mine investigators, also released Monday, said a vein of calcite weakened the roof, causing it to shear from its natural bedding.
The federal mine safety agency issued a citation against the mine for "unwarranted failure of management to maintain certain ground conditions." It is punishable by a fine of up to $50,000, but federal spokesman Tom Brown said it may be several months before the exact amount is determined.
Ron Bonnema, plant manager at APG Lime, said the company planned to appeal the federal decision.
"We feel they have reached a wrong conclusion in their investigation," he said.
The federal investigators determined that APG management failed to properly support the roof after manual scaling to remove loose rock was unsuccessful.
Bonnema disagreed, saying that area of the roof was scaled more than a dozen times in the week before the accident.
"Without exception, all the miners agreed they didn't see anything that looked unsafe," he said.
State officials - who lack the regulatory teeth of their federal counterparts - made 10 recommendations in the wake of the accident.
They include: strengthen the canopy of the twin-boom drill, if possible; remove the top of the section where the rock fall occurred up to stable rock; inspect calcite veins for length and voids; use crosscuts to train miners what to look for when examining calcite veins.
Also, drill test holes to learn what's above the roof; revise the emergency response plan to limit the number of people who come to the scene of a mine accident and to establish a staging area for reserve personnel who are able to communicate with the surface; keep a supply of rock bolts and support materials on hand; consider "spot bolting" areas where significant fractures are present; have a geologist periodically inspect roof conditions and train miners; and limit the opening size and shape in areas with a weak roof.
Keywords:
FATALITY
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.