Improper training and inadequate policies were the root causes of two fatal coal mine accidents in Marshall County last year, according to the West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training.

In recent investigation reports, MSHA claims the deaths of Victor Goudy, 58, and Mark McIntyre, 57, could have been prevented.

In October 2008, Goudy was killed after he was pinned between an underground locomotive and a supply car at the McElroy Mine. At the time, Goudy was uncoupling dollies from the locomotive and was awaiting a trailing supply car in which he would attach them. The report indicates Goudy saw the supply car coming and tried to get it to stop. The driver of that car turned off its lights while rounding a turn to improve visibility, and investigators believe this may have caused a miscommunication.

"Goudy may have assumed (the driver) shut the lights off to acknowledge the location of the stopped trip (Goudy's locomotive), but this was not the case as (the driver) continued tramming the locomotive toward them," the report states. "It is a common practice for equipment operators, once they see a 'flag-off' signal, to stop their piece of equipment and turn off the lights."

MSHA investigators in the report state that streamers used to mark the ends of supply-carrying equipment "did not give a sufficient visual warning as to the location of equipment that was stopped or parked on the track." The report further states that another cause was "management's failure to establish a policy prohibiting miners from working on or alongside a trip of cars until all haulage equipment associated with the trip has been stopped, including unattached trail locomotives."

Two months later, McIntyre, a barge inspector, died after falling from a barge at McElroy's Ireland River Loading Facility on the Ohio River. While the report states there were no witnesses to the accident and the course of events leading up to the accident could not be determined, it added that investigators found that adequate hazard training had not been provided to McIntyre. Although McIntyre had received hazard training via a video and question-and-answer session in 2007, it was not sufficient, the report indicates.

"The McElroy Hazard Training Video was viewed by MSHA Accident Investigators and it was determined the video did not contain any hazard recognition associated with the site specific hazards observed at the Ireland River Loading Facility," the report states.

In both cases, corrective action was taken, according to the report. Now, a light attached to the end of trips is required within 3 feet of a dolly, supply car or coal car not attached to a locomotive. Additionally, each locomotive operator who is part of a trip must confirm with other locomotive operators that all locomotives of the trip have come to a complete stop prior to any person exiting the operator's compartment. No one is permitted alongside the cars until all have come to a complete stop.

In McIntyre's case, all employees at the loading facility were given Experienced Miner Training using a newly approved training plan that addressed specific hazards associated with the loadout, according to the report. In addition, the mine was cited for "operator's failure to provide site specific training."

Consol Public Relations Director Joseph Cerenzia declined to comment on the Goudy case because he said company officials are still in discussions with state regulators regarding the incident. However, he disagreed with MSHA's finding in the McIntyre case.

"Consol Energy can't agree with certainty that inefficient training was the cause of this fatality, since the state's report itself says that the evidence is inconclusive as to what caused Mr. McIntyre to enter the river," Cerenzia said.