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DETAILS ARE CRITICAL TO SAFETY
Safety article by Harold Hough April/May 2008
America’s mining industry is
surprisingly safe thanks to rigorous safety programs by mining companies.
However, while these programs focus on major safety factors, most mines forget
that many accidents come from incidents that are rarely mentioned in safety
programs. With that in mind, here are some tips on safety that you may not
regularly consider.
LIFE JACKETS CAN SAVE A MINER’S
LIFE. “We don’t have any deep water at our mine” you say. But, what if
your pumps fail for a few hours? Are you going to be forced to send miners or
maintenance people into an area where drowning could be a risk?
Drowning isn’t just a risk in
deep water. Someone could slip in a foot of water, fall, and knock themselves
out. In fact, any situation where becoming unconscious is a risk is made more
hazardous when there are more than a few inches of water on the ground.
Any mine that has a risk of
flooding should have personal flotation devices available for workers who may
have to work around water. The best bet is the Type I device, which is designed
to turn most unconscious people face up in the water. This feature is especially
important if a worker must work alone, even briefly.
KNOW YOUR ESCAPE ROUTES.
One reason the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center didn’t cause any more
deaths was that everyone knew where the stairs were and moved quickly down them
to the outside. As a result, tens of thousands of workers are alive today.
A miner who not only knows the
traditional escape routes, but alternatives like ventilation systems or bleeder
entries, have a greater chance to survive. Mines can help miners by expanding
their safety classes to include unusual situations and providing information
about the ventilation system.
MINERS SHOULD ALWAYS WEAR
REFLECTIVE MATERIAL. Every mine has a low light condition. Obviously, in
underground mines, low light is found in tunnels. However, in open pit mines,
low light conditions exist in shadows and buildings because miners working in
sunlight have to adjust to shadow before they can see everything.
Although reflective material
costs a few dollars more, everyone should wear it. In underground situations,
pieces of reflective material should be worn on the arms, chest, back, and legs.
In low light situations above ground, reflective vests like those seen on road
construction jobs make the workers noticeable to everyone around them.
TAKE THE KEYS WHEN WORKING ON
HEAVY EQUIPMENT. It’s too easy for workers to move heavy equipment if the
keys are available. Give the keys to the maintenance worker prior to maintenance
and don’t expect to get them back until the work is finished.
BEWARE OF BATTERY FIRES OR
EXPLOSIONS. As Miners News mentioned a few months ago, modern,
high-density rechargeable batteries are a fire and explosion threat. The major
threat comes from using unmatched batteries and chargers. Be sure to use
batteries and chargers designed for each other.
NEVER ASSUME THAT YOU KNOW
WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. Before you put a vehicle back in service after repairs,
check out other systems that might have contributed to the original problem in
the first place. In one case, a miner was fatally injured when a haul truck was
repaired after a brake problem. The worn brake linings were replaced and the
truck was put back in service. A little later the truck was involved in a fatal
accident due to a brake failure. The investigation found that the brake
actuators were also worn out. Maintenance had assumed that the brake linings
were the only problem and had failed to look for other problems.
Remember that safety requires
attention to details. The more you pay attention to the small things the better
the chances that the big problems won’t happen.
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