Multiple workers taken to the hospital from incident inside Pennsylvania mine
Multiple workers were taken to the hospital following a late-night incident that happened inside a mine in Greene County.
Greene County dispatchers confirmed to KDKA-TV that four or five workers were taken to the hospital following an incident that happened around 11 p.m. on Monday at the Harvey Mine along Patterson Creek Road in Morris Township.
Dispatchers reported that all the people were transported to the hospital by ground.
In a statement provided to KDKA-TV on Tuesday morning, Core Natural Resources, who operate the mine, confirmed that the incident involved six workers and a pressurized water hose.
"Last night at our Harvey Mine in Morris Township, there was an underground accident involving a pressurized water hose. Six individuals were brought out of the mine and transported to area hospitals for evaluation and treatment.
Of the six, five individuals have been treated and released, while one remains in the hospital for further evaluation. We are conducting an internal review of last night's event to determine the exact cause of the accident while working with all appropriate agencies.
Finally, we are incredibly thankful for the local emergency responders who assisted our team."
The Harvey Mine is a relatively new facility built in the 2010s. It is what's called a long wall mining operation. It's not known what, if any, impact the incident had on the facility's production.
This mine, and other types of underground mining operations, use high-pressure water, primarily for hydraulic roof support systems and dust suppression.
Those lines can operate anywhere from 3,000 to 6,000 psi, with some operating up to 10,000 psi. For perspective, the water in a typical home is between 40 and 80 pounds per square inch.
The incident has since been turned over to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's Mine Safety Bureau.