December 19, 2012
W.Va. slurry pond death prompts MSHA advisory
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Federal regulators say coal companies should provide hazard training to people working on coal slurry impoundments in the wake of a state man's death.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration typically issues best-practices advisories after a fatality. This one tells companies to train workers to watch for surface cracks and bubbling in the slurry that could indicate problems.

MSHA says workers should be removed when conditions are unsafe.

Fifty-eight-year-old Markel Koon of Shinnston died Nov. 30 when an embankment collapsed at Consol Energy's Robinson Run mine impoundment near Lumberport.

Koon and his bulldozer went into the muck. He was removed last week.

It was the 19th coal industry death this year, but the first involving a slurry pond.

The cause of the collapse is under investigation.

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Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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