Kentucky recorded its first coal mining death of the year when a 29-year-old miner was killed in a conveyor belt accident in an underground Harlan County mine.
The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet says Hubert Grubbs was working in the D11 Panther Mine in Cumberland. He was splicing a conveyor belt early Wednesday morning when it started unexpectedly, causing fatal injuries.
The mine was shut down after the death and inspectors have issued 15 state citations for non-compliance. Officials say inspectors visited the mine on Jan. 11 and gave a talk on safety and fatality prevention.
Grubbs, of Harlan, had 10 years of mining experience. The cabinet says in a release the mine is owned by Revelation Energy LLC.
The coal mine death was the country's fourth this year.
