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Serious accident at work in the Garzweiler opencast mine – man trapped!
A worker was seriously injured in the Garzweiler opencast mine in the Rhine district of Neuss. The investigation into the accident is ongoing.
Serious accident at work in the Garzweiler opencast mine – man trapped!
On June 14, 2025, there was a serious industrial accident in the Garzweiler opencast mine, which once again put the safety situation in the industry to the test. An employee who was carrying out repair work on a screening machine was seriously injured when the machine unexpectedly lowered and trapped his forearm. According to the report by Heinsberg-Magazin, the RWE factory fire department and the city fire department immediately provided first aid and freed the man from his predicament using hydraulic instruments. He was then transported by emergency services to the Düsseldorf University Hospital, where he was operated on that same evening.
The investigation into the cause of the sudden lowering of the machine is currently underway. These types of incidents raise questions about mining safety and permits. It is not the first accident in the Garzweiler opencast mine: a vehicle carrying several safety employees had an accident on January 10, 2022, which increases concerns about safety standards in this area. At that time, all five occupants were injured, three of them seriously. This incident also shows how quickly dangerous situations can arise in the harsh environment of brown coal mining 24rhine reported.
A look at the accident statistics in mining
Accidents in mining are a common issue that accompanies the industry. According to Faszination Raw Materials, the injury statistics in mining are alarming: In 2020, a total of 22,760 accidents were reported to the professional association for mining, 13 of which were fatal. However, the number of fatal incidents in mining has decreased significantly in recent decades, which gives cause for optimism. Nevertheless, the proportion of fatal accidents in mining remains at around 11 percent of total fatal industrial accidents. It is assumed that there are around 14 work-related accidents per million working hours, which is in the middle range of cross-industry accident statistics.
The industry currently employs around 1,725 people in the Garzweiler opencast mine and produces between 35 and 40 million tonnes of brown coal per year. In this highly complex and often considered dangerous industry, it is important to put employee safety first. Tragic accidents like today's event make it clear that there is still a need for action to make working conditions safer and to better manage potential hazards. The relevant authorities will do everything in their power to clarify the causes of the recent incident and to further improve safety in the mining industry.