[Summary translation prepared by Business & Human Rights Centre]

Measure seven times, 5 December 2025

How the investigation into the accident at Mikhailovsky Mining and Processing Plant ended…

During the start-up of the steeply inclined conveyor DKK-1 after maintenance, the main automatic circuit breaker suddenly switched off. The situation was quite routine. There are hundreds of such units in the plant’s divisions, and like any technical equipment they occasionally fail. At the same time, repairing equipment operating under high voltage clearly requires maximum attention and caution.

While fixing the malfunction, an electrician responsible for equipment repair and maintenance attempted to reassemble the conveyor’s electrical circuit. By mistake, he switched on several circuit breakers. At that moment, he was blinded by a bright flash inside the breaker housing caused by a short circuit with an electric arc discharge. The worker’s protective clothing caught fire.

A locomotive crew passing nearby rushed to help the electrician who ran out of the room. The incident was reported to the dispatcher and the paramedic. The worker was given first aid and then taken by ambulance to the city hospital. From there he was transferred first to the Kursk Regional Hospital and later to the N.V. Sklifosovsky Research Institute for Emergency Medicine in Moscow. Despite doctors’ efforts, the injured worker died six days later.