The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has launched an investigation into a Westmoreland Coal Company miner’s death.
On Saturday, May 6, Michael Ramsey, a 62-year-old worker from Colstrip, Mont., was operating a dump truck at Westmoreland’s Rosebud Mine when the 100-ton haul vehicle fell 100 feet into a pit, according to news reports.
Emergency services responded to the site at 5:20 p.m. and pronounced Ramsey dead at the scene.
The company released the following statement to the media:
“On Saturday, May 6th, 2017, one of Westmoreland Coal Company's miners died in a tragic truck accident at the Rosebud Mine in Colstrip, MT. The cause of the accident is currently under investigation and MSHA is onsite. Operations in the vicinity of the incident have been suspended pending investigation. Westmoreland expresses its deepest sympathies to the friends and families of our fallen team member. The safety and well-being of our team members continues to be Westmoreland’s top priority. We will provide updates as information becomes available.”
Westmoreland Coal Company received awards for safety dating back to 2011 including two MSHA certificates for no lost work days and a national award for surface mining from the Office of Surface Mining and Enforcement, according to Westmoreland’s website.
The company, headquartered out of Englewood, Colo., operates surface coal mines in United States and Canada as well as underground goal mines in Ohio and New Mexico, which is a char production facility.
MHSA recently launched an initiative during its quarterly stakeholder call aimed at educating miners about best safety practices after five workers died in the first three months of 2017.