Success Stories

Coal mine loss avoids complete destruction

 

SITUATION

A manually operated armored face conveyor (AFC), a 110 ton shearer, and a 30 ton chock were crushed at a depth of -1,200 feet below the surface in a coal mine in the Appalachians when the shearer hit a seam fault. What resulted was a collapse of the outermost end of the AFC from the pressing weight.

SCENARIO

Although operators safely escaped, the damage required miners to manually dig in order to reach the fault and then pass coal back through buckets in order to reach the AFC. The equipment was disassembled and pulled out through the passageway.

OUTCOME

The USD 21 million claim covered physical damage, time element, as well as sue and labour expenditures. The claim stayed out of litigation and once closed, resulted in over USD 1.75 million savings in time element.