stantly during the day by a qualified examiner, equipped with a permissible flame safety lamp. Examiners should leave their initials and dates as evidence of their visits. ESCAPEWAYS An escapeway is provided with a railed stairway, which is maintained in good condition. However, the escapement shaft is lined from top to bottom with combustible material. Escapeways should have incombustible walls or lining, and be free of fire hazards from the surface to the bottom. GENERAL SAFETY CONDITIONS SUPERVISION AND DISCIPLINE From observation, it would appear that the officials are interested in the welfare and safety of the employees. Supervision appears to be adequate, and relationship between the officials and employees appears to be good. There are seven face bosses employed who do not have over 16 men each under their supervision. The officials are not hurried in their visits, and have ample time to visit each working place three times per day. The face bosses do not carry flame safety lamps, nor do they mark their initials and date in each place inspected. All foremen should carry permissible flame safety lamps, and make tests for gas in each place visited, each time visited, and mark the date and their initials at or near the face of each place visited each day. SAFETY ORGANIZATION There is no safety organization maintained at the present time, and it is suggested that the inactive Holmes Safety Association chapter be reorganized so that officials and employees may conduct joint safety meetings at least monthly. The company does not employ a safety engineer. It is believed that any coal mine employing 100 men or more should employ a safety engineer or inspector who should have no duties to perform other than looking after the safety of the employees, and should have authority to correct unsafe conditions where the hazard is great; otherwise, he should call the attention of the officials to the hazards. The mine officials hold monthly safety meetings. Current accidents are discussed, and suggestions and recommendations are offered for the correction of unsafe practices and conditions. Responsibility for accidents is placed, and each foreman is rated. In an effort to encourage the foreman to promote safety practices, the company has a cash bonus plan whereby each foreman received a cash bonus each year if the accident record on his section is kept below a certain fixed figure. There is also a bonus plan for all miners employed at the mine, and this operates as follows: For each 10 days the mine operates without a lost-time accident, the company gives a $40 bonus, which is divided into eight $5 prizes. Each employee's check number is put into a box, and eight numbers are drawn out by a disinterested person. The holder of each number drawn receives a $5 prize. In addition, the company publishes an eight-page illustrated paper each month, known as the Safetygram, which is distributed free to the employees. The paper brings to the attention of the employees all accidents that happen in and about the mine, as well as local news items and announcements of interest to the employees. These are commendable practices on the part of the company. BULLETIN BOARD An attractive bulletin board is provided, on which are displayed safety posters of the National Safety Council. FIRST AID AND MINE RESCUE Approximately 90 percent of the workmen have had first-aid training, and 10 have had mine rescue training. One man has had the accident prevention course, There has been no additional first-aid training for about 5 years. First-aid material is provided on each section of the mine. The company does not own any mine rescue equipment or gas masks; however, they have access to the State mine rescue station at Du Quoin, Ill., 43 miles distant. The nearest general hospital is at Centralia, Ill., 2 miles distant. ACCIDENTS From a study of the accident experience for 1941 at the No. 5 mine, as shown in table 4 following, it is believed that the frequency rate should be reduced substantially. A total of 15 lost-time accidents with a frequency rate of 73 is considerably above the average. The severity rate is 3, which is well below the national average, and is an excellent severity rate. The frequency rate for the first 6 months of 1942 is 109.7, and the severity rate is 1.97. The frequency rate is high, and indicates that the supervision should be intensified. It is suggested that a careful study be made of the causes of the 1942 accidents, with the view of controlling falls of roof and coal, which are responsible for approximately 30 percent of the total accidents, any one of which could have been serious. TABLE 4.-Accident record, No. 5 mine, Centralia Coal Co., Centralia, Ill. The officials of the Centralia Coal Co. are to be commended for a number of safe practices and conditions at the No. 5 mine, among which are: 1. The installation of overwind and speed-control devices on the hoisting engine. 2. The providing of safety goggles for shop repairmen, and the requirement that they wear the goggles when doing work hazardous to the eyes. 3. The providing of adequate fire protection for the surface buildings. 4. The taking of precautionary measures by preshift examination of the mine. 5. The monthly safety meetings of the mine officials. 6. The creation of an interest in safety by the offering of a bonus to the employees for accident prevention. RECOMMENDATIONS After a careful study of the conditions and practices at the No. 5 mine, the following recommendations are made with the hope that they will be of material benefit to the management in their effort to bring about more healthful and safer working conditions. TIPPLE 1. Electric motors used in the tipple and cleaning plant should be of the dustproof type, and the switches and controls should be enclosed. 2. Belts, gears, sprockets, and flywheels within 7 feet of the floor should be adequately guarded. 3. Thorough and frequent cleaning of coal dust from floors and ledges should be done, preferably daily, and at least once each week. 4. An air-exhaust system should be used with dust-collecting hoods located at the principal sources of dust formation, or dust should be allayed with water or other wetting agents. COAL-STORAGE BIN 1. The wooden coal-storage bin should be made fire resistant, or fire doors should be installed at the shaft. SURFACE HAULAGE 1. Track switches should be provided with parallel throws, and the bar extending from the track to the switch throw should be installed in such a manner as to eliminate stumbling hazards. 2. Railroad car droppers should be required to use safety belts while dropping cars to and from the tipple. 3. Frogs, switches, and guardrails should be blocked. HOISTING EQUIPMENT 1. The hoisting engineers should be physically fit, and should undergo a physical examination at least annually to determine their continued fitness; the physician's report of such examination should be posted. 2. Records should be kept of the inspections of the sheave wheels and ropes. CAGES 1. Cages used for hoisting men should be enclosed at the sides, and should be provided with end gates to prevent men from accidentally falling from the cage down the shaft. 2. The signal device at the ground landing should be so arranged that signals can be given from the cage. 3. The cages should be provided with safety catches that act quickly and effectively in an emergency. They should be tested every 2 months, and a written record kept of the tests. 4. A positive stop-block or derail should be placed at surface and bottom landings to keep cars from accidentally running into the shaft while men are being hoisted or lowered. 5. The movable parts of the cage should be locked when men are being hoisted or lowered. ELECTRIC POWER PLANT 1. A guard should be provided in front of the 2,300-volt switchboard in the powerhouse. SHOPS 1. The belts and gears in the repair shops should be adequately guarded. FAN AND FAN HOUSE 1. The fan should be: (a) Installed on the surface, (b) in a fireproof housing, (e) offset at least 25 feet from the line of any opening, (d) provided with ample pressure-relief or explosion doors. EXPLOSIVES-STORAGE MAGAZINE 1. The explosives-storage magazine should be constructed of incombustible material, located according to the American Table of Distances, and should be provided with screened ventilators. 2. Dry grass and brush should be kept cleaned for at least 50 feet from the explosives-storage magazine. 3. A distributing magazine should be built and located according to the American Table of Distances. WASH HOUSE 1. The wash house should be provided with at least two exits. 2. A disinfectant foot bath should be provided, in which the disinfectant is changed daily. LAMP HOUSE 1. Naphtha should be kept in an approved container. SYSTEM OF CHECKING MEN INTO AND OUT OF THE MINE 1. Identification checks should be provided that will positively identify each person entering the mine. The daily record in connection with the system should be kept in a place so located as not to be affected in case of an explosion in the mine. TIMBERING 1. A set of timbering rules should be formulated and strictly followed. Where unusual conditions are encountered, additional timber should be used. 2. Temporary cross bars should be used in the face regions to afford full protection to the workmen. 3. Proper cap pieces should be used on all posts. 4. Testing bars should be used by all officials and miners when testing roof, and all underground employees should be taught the vibration method of testing roof. 5. Employees should wear goggles when barring down loose roof. EXPLOSIVES AND BLASTING 1. Electric detonators of proper strength should be used instead of fuze for blasting, and they should be used in a permissible manner. 2. Only wooden tamping bars should be used. 3. Not more than a 24 hours' supply of explosives should be kept in the mine at one time. 4. Explosives should be kept in a locked box at all times, except while in use. 5. Shots should be fired singly. 6. Examinations for explosive gas should be made before and after shooting, and fire runs should be made after blasting. 7. Holes to remove misfires should be at least 24 inches from the misfire. VENTILATION AND GAS 1. The ventilation should be substantially increased by cleaning up rock falls in the air courses, tightening up stoppings, and by erecting doors in pairs to formair locks, particularly at 15 north and 4 west. 2. The air in the working places or travelingways should be increased in volume until it contains at least 20-percent oxygen, not more than 0.5-percent carbon dioxide, and no harmful amount of dust or poisonous gas. 3. The quantity of air reaching the last open crosscut in any pair of working entries, headings, or gangways, or the maximum inby point of a split, should be at least 6,000 cubic feet per minute. 4. All entries, rooms, panels, or sections that cannot be well ventilated throughout and regularly inspected, or that are not being used for coursing the air, travel, haulage, or the extraction of coal, should be sealed by strong fireproof stoppings and provided with some means of bleeding off the gas into the return. 5. Crosscuts should be turned at 60-foot intervals in each place, and no place should be driven more than 60 feet without a break-through. 6. All haulage and hoisting should be on intake air. STOPPINGS 1. Stoppings on branch entries should be of substantial construction and of incombustible or fire-resistant material. 2. Stoppings in rooms should be of gob wall or tight board, preferably gunited or plastered, except that canvas may be used in the last open crosscut in connection with line brattice. DOORS 1. A split ventilation system utilizing air crossings should be used instead of doors for conducting ventilation in all main passageways. 2. Where doors are used in connection with coursing the air in any one split or if used in lieu of a split ventilation system, they should be: (a) Installed in pairs to form air locks; (b) self-closing, (c) not provided with latches or other devices to hold them open, (d) provided with a supply of rock dust on each side for fire emergency use. 3. Places should not be worked on an air current that has passed through abandoned workings that cannot be regularly inspected. It is hazardous to work places using air currents from partly caved workings. 4. Airways should be kept clear to permit free passage of air; this includes nonhaulage air courses, as well as those that are utilized for haulage or man travel. GAS IGNITION HAZARDS 1. Smoking underground presents a fire hazard as well as an explosion hazard in case explosive gas is encountered, and should be prohibited. 2. The mine should be classed as gassy and operated as such. 3. Open lights have been responsible for many coal mine explosions, and their use at this mine should be discontinued, in favor of permissible electric cap lamps. Fire bosses should not use locomotives on inspections. 4. When new mining equipment is purchased, consideration should be given to the purchase of permissible equipment where operations are on other than pure intake air. DUST 1. Coal dust should not be permitted to accumulate on roadways, at loading points, and on gob, ribs, roof, or timbers. 2. Water should be used on the cutter bars of mining machines to wet the coal dust as the cutting is being done, and also before firing the face. 3. Water should be sprayed on the coal pile as the coal is being loaded. 4. Each working place should be kept free of coal dust by the effective use of water for a distance of 40 feet back from the face. ROCK DUST 1. To prevent the propagation of mine explosions, the Bureau of Mines recommends: (a) That rock dust shall be distributed upon top, bottom, and sides of all underground openings of every description to within at least 40 feet of all working places, and the area not rock-dusted shall be kept wet. (b) That the rock dust shall be maintained in such quantity that the incombustible material in representative samples of dust collected shall not be less than 65 percent. (One percent additional for each one-tenth percent methane present.) (c) In order to apply rock dust affectively in those entries, rooms, crosscuts, and openings that have not been rock dusted, they should receive a thorough cleaning first, before application of the rock dust. (d) Since the majority of mine explosions originate at or near the active working faces, this part of the mine should receive attention first by starting to rock dust at the faces and working outby, and also carrying the rock dusting with the advancing faces. HAULAGE UNDERGROUND 1. Switches should be complete with parallel switch throws and bridle bars. All frogs and guard lead rails should be blocked. 2. An efficient trip light should be placed on the rear of all pulled trips, and on the front of cars being pushed. 3. All haulage roads should be kept clean of coal spillage, coal dust, and debris. 4. Pushing of cars should be eliminated insofar as possible; no trips should be pushed on main haulageways, except at parting or under some emergency. |