MSHA Job Safety Tips ST Card No. 10 |
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Underground Powered
Haulage Safety for Coal Mines
DON'T BE HAULED OUT!
Powered haulage accidents continue to be a leading cause of mine fatalities. Most powered haulage accidents occur as a result of:
- Operating unsafe equipment.
- Not properly maintaining equipment.
- Unsafe operation of mobile equipment.
- Not properly blocking machinery/equipment in a raised position when performing maintenance.
- Impaired visibility of operators of mobile equipment.
- Improper hand/body positioning.
- Inadequate training of equipment operators.
- Never operate unsafe equipment. Pay particular attention to brakes, panic bars, controls, and steering. Report unsafe conditions to mine management.
- Keep equipment clean. Make sure all lighting systems, warning devices, and permissibility requirements are maintained.
- Always face the direction of travel and use speeds consistent with roadway conditions. Use warning devices.
- Always solidly block machinery that is in a raised position when performing maintenance.
- Always deenergize equipment before performing maintenance.
- Use lights in direction of travel. Stop before proceeding through runthrough check curtains. Be alert to the presence of others in travelways. Use reflective material. Maintain communications.
- Keep hands and body in operator compartment. Avoid pinch points. Be aware of changes in clearance.
- Keep their training updated. Know their equipment's capabilities and limitations.
- Not restrict visibility by overloading haulage equipment.
February 15, 1996 -- A scoop operator was fatally injured while hauling stopping blocks to a section. The accident occurred because the victim apparently failed to observe how close he was to the coal rib and inadvertently positioned himself between the machine and the rib.
March 20, 1996 -- A scoop operator was using a scoop to clean loose coal beneath and around a mobile bridge section of a continuous haulage system. During the process, the scoop trammed under the bridge section and the scoop operator's head struck the mobile bridge, resulting in fatal injuries.
April 8, 1996 -- A laborer was fatally injured while rock dusting an area outby a dumping point, using a battery tractor and pulling a slinger duster. He was out of the tractor preparing to rock dust when the tractor began to roll down the grade, and pinned him under the front of the tractor.
September 30, 1996 -- A shuttle car operator was fatally injured when two shuttle cars collided in an intersection inby the dumping point in a belt entry.
October 24, 1996 -- A plant foreman was fatally injured while installing a connector link in a shuttle car conveyor drive sprocket chain. Electrical power was not removed from the conveyor drive motor before repairs were begun.
October 26, 1996 -- A laborer and a coworker were transporting a longwall equipment sled along the track to the longwall setup area. The load shifted and caused fatal injuries to the laborer. The accident occurred because the longwall equipment sled loaded onto two haulage vehicles was not secured in a manner that would prevent its movement.
U.S. Department of Labor
Mine Safety and Health Administration