Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 8, 1995 TAG: 9502080059
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RICK LINDQUIST STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RIPPLEMEAD LENGTH: Medium
But Annette Morgan said Tuesday that her 34-year-old husband still hasn't gotten over the July 25 accident that killed 37-year-old Barry Snider of Blacksburg and sidelined Morgan for several months with a broken pelvis.
"It's had a great effect on his nerves," Annette Morgan said from the couple's home in Princeton, W.Va., while her husband was on the job in Giles County.
In early January, Jeff Morgan - a 14-year Eastern Ridge Lime Co. veteran - returned to work as a scaler in the mine, a job his wife said he enjoys.
Annette Morgan also said that her husband "doesn't blame anybody" for the rock fall and agrees with a state agency report issued Feb. 1. The Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy report concluded that various "geological weaknesses" in the collapsed section of mine roof led to the accident.
Mike Abbott, a department spokesman in Big Stone Gap, said those faults "were not recognized by the employees" as they worked.
The primary weakness was a so-called "mud seam," an area where water has eroded the limestone from behind, in a section of wall that should have been providing major roof support, the report stated. When Snider directed Morgan to scale the area - a process to remove loose material from the roof - the force of the jumbo drill bit Morgan was using dislodged the "unstable rock mass," the report said.
Because the "mud seam" was hidden from view, "it was not evident to the workers in the area," Abbott said.
Up to 2,000 tons of rock, including individual boulders and rock fragments, fell on the two workers. Snider's body was recovered three days later from beneath 8 feet of rock.
Last fall, the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration cited the limestone mine for three violations stemming from the accident, including using the jumbo drill "for a purpose other than what it was designed by the manufacturer to accomplish." The federal report concluded that the fatal injuries resulted from "the failure to ensure that scaling was conducted from a safe location" and the failure to provide equipment to scale the mine roof safely.
Abbott said that, where mechanical scaling equipment is unavailable, scaling typically is done by hand, using pry bars and other tools. However, the MSHA report said workers at the limestone mine customarily used the jumbo drill instead of the mechanical scaler provided at the mine.
The federal report also said failure to support the rock by following the company's general mining and roof control plan contributed to the accident. Federal fines are pending.
Company executives were unavailable for comment Tuesday afternoon.
Officials closed the mine temporarily after the roof fall. The Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy issued a notice of violation in August requiring the company to submit and comply with a revised mining plan.
The company has resumed limited production at the mine, off Virginia 684 near Pearisburg.
It's a good company, Annette Morgan said, but she worries about the danger. "Frankly, I've tried to talk him into quitting."
Jeff Morgan suffers from continuing back problems, his wife said, and being underground again initially added to his discomfort. "I don't guess he'll ever trust it completely again."
by CNB