5. Trip riders should be prohibited from riding the front bumpers of pushed trips, and from jumping off and on moving trips. 6. Locomotives should be equipped with suitable rerailers, jacks, or other necessary tools for rerailing cars or locomotives. CLEARANCE AND SHELTER HOLES 1. On all trolley haulageways, there should be a continuous clearance on the side opposite the trolley wire of at least 30 inches from the nearest obstruction to the farthest projection of any moving equipment. 2. On the trolley wire side, there should be a continuous clearance of at least 12 inches. 3. Shelter holes should be available along all haulageways; they should be suitably marked, and not over 60 feet apart on the clearance side. 4. Shelter holes should be kept clean and free from loose material and other obstructions. LOCOMOTIVES 1. Locomotives should be equipped with gongs or other audible signalling devices, and should also be protected by fused nips, switches, or circuit breakers. MAN-TRIPS 1. Enough cars should be provided on man-trips to permit all men to ride on the side opposite the trolley wire, 2. The man-trip should come to a full stop before men load or unload. TROLLEY WIRES 1. Trolley wires should be sectionalized at man-trip loading and unloading stations, and the power pulled while men are loading or unloading from the man-trip. In addition, the trolley wires should be adequately guarded at those stations. TELEPHONES 1. Telephones should be properly grounded and fused. 2. Telephone wires should be installed on the opposite sides from power or trolley wires. UNDERGROUND MOTOR-GENERATOR SET 1 1. The underground substation should be provided with fire doors, arranged to close automatically in case of fire. COAL-CUTTING EQUIPMENT 1. Trailing cables for portable or semiportable underground electrical equipment should be provided with fused nips or taps, unless suitably arranged for connecting to permissible junction or distribution boxes. 2. Permanent cable splices should be made in surface or underground repair shops by proper splicing methods. 3. Mining machines should not be loaded on their trucks or moved unless they are equipped with a safety chain or other adequate locking device. 4. Mining machines should be inspected regularly, and records of these inspections should be kept. PUMPS 1. Permanent pump installations should be housed in a room constructed of incombustible material. 2. Wiring at pump installations should be properly installed on proper insulators. 3. Belts and gears on pumps should be properly guarded. 4. All stationary electric installations should have their frames properly grounded. The thread bars on the drills should be guarded and the drills grounded. MECHANICAL LOADERS 1. The loading machines should be provided with proper fuses. FIRE PROTECTION UNDERGROUND 1. Adequate fire-fighting equipment should be located at the shaft bottom, an available at all times for transportation to the various parts of the mine. 2. Fire extinguishers and bags of rock dust should be provided on each work ing section. Suitable fire extinguishers for electric fires should be provided. 3. At least four all-service gas masks should be provided for protection to those who may be engaged in fighting a fire. UNDERGROUND OIL STORAGE 1. Not more than a 2 days' supply of each kind of lubricating oil and grease should be stored at any one location in the mine at any one time. 2. Underground storage places for lubricating oil and grease should be of fireproof construction, and oil taken into the working sections should be in closed metallic containers. PROTECTIVE CLOTHING 1. Protective hats should be worn by all employees, officials, and others while on duty in all parts of mines, and also in work around mines where there is danger from falling objects. 2. Protective footwear should be worn by employees, officials, and others while on duty in and around mines. FLOOD HAZARD 1. In order to afford full protection from the water hazard confronting the No. 5 mine, by the flooded condition of the abandoned adjoining mines Nos. 1 and 2, it is recommended that this hazard be removed by pumping the water from the abandoned mines. 2. A safe water level should be established and closely watched, with a daily report made to the superintendent's office. 3. The old workings leading into the abandoned mines should be sealed with strong incombustible material, and provided with some means of bleeding off the gas, should gas accumulate behind the seals. A pipe in the form of a water lock should be placed at the bottom of one of the seals, as a safety precaution against water pressure. 4. When approaching abandoned workings that cannot be inspected, or workings filled with water or gas, bore holes should be kept at least 20 feet in advance of the face, and similar 45-degree angle holes 25 feet deep should be made in each side. OIL AND GAS WELLS 1. Oil and gas wells penetrating strata below beds of coal should be protected by a pillar of coal extending at least 50 feet on every side of the well bore. 2. If oil or gas wells penetrate open workings: (a) A surrounding wall or pier of cement, masonry, or concrete of a diameter exceeding the height of excavation, or at least 48 inches, should be constructed. (b) The casing should be surrounded by an outer steel casing extending from 20 to 30 feet below the coal bed, and open to the outside atmosphere for the relief of any gas liberated. (c) Every oil or gas well penetrating a coal bed should be properly plugged with concrete for at least 10 feet above and below the coal bed when abandoned, and a record filed with the State department of mines and minerals. ESCAPEWAYS 1. Escapeways should have incombustible walls or lining, and should be free of fire hazards from the surface to the bottom. SAFETY ORGANIZATION 1. A safety inspector should be employed who should have no duties to perform other than looking after the safety of the employees. 2. A safety organization of officials and employees should be established. 3. Joint safety meetings of men and officials should be held at least monthly. FIRST-AID AND MINE RESCUE 1. All employees should be given a course in first-aid training annually. 2. A selected number of men should be trained in mine-rescue work; at least 12 men for any mine employing more than 100 men should be trained. MISCELLANEOUS UNDERGROUND HAZARDS 1. Incombustible litter should be removed from the vicinity of explosives boxes and rock-dust barricades. 2. The first west, south entry should be patrolled regularly. 3. Face bosses should be provided with permissible flame safety lamps. 4. Examiners should leave their dates and initials in all places visited. ACKNOWLEDGMENT The inspectors wish to express their appreciation and thanks for the courtesies and cooperation extended by the State department of mines and minerals, the mine management, and the employees during this inspection. Respectfully submitted. Approved: L. W. KELLY, E. H. DENNY, Chief, Coal Mine Inspection Division. D. HARRINGTON, Chief, Health and Safety Branch. COAL MINE REINSPECTION REPORT NO. 1, NO. 5 MINE, CENTRALIA COAL CO., CENTRALIA, MARION COUNTY, ILL., SEPTEMBER 20-22, 1943 (By F. J. Shilling and W. A. Gallagher) INTRODUCTION An inspection of the No. 5 mine was made September 20-22, 1943, in accordance with the Federal Coal Mine Inspection and Investigation Act of 1941, H. R. 2082, for the purpose of obtaining information relating to health and safety conditions in and around this mine, such information to be made available to the public, as required by law. This report points out conditions and practices considered hazardous or unsafe and lists the improvements in safety conditions and practices that have been made since the last inspection of September 1-3, 1942. It is hoped that this report will assist the management and the mine employees in their efforts to prevent accidents at this mine. GENERAL INFORMATION The No. 5 mine, situated on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy and Illinois Central Railroads at Centralia, Ill., is operated by the Centralia Coal Co. The local office of the company is at Centralia, Ill., and the general offices are in Chicago, Ill. The names and addresses of the operating officials are: H. F. McDonald, president, Chicago, Ill.; H. C. Niermann, superintendent, Centralia, Ill.; H. A. Berger, mine foreman, Centralia, Ill. The mine is opened by two timber-lined shaft which are approximately 545 feet deep and 100 feet apart. One is used for handling men, coal, and supplies, it is a return airway. The second opening is used for intake air and as an escapeway. The mine is developed in the Illinois No. 6 coal bed, which averages 78 inches in thickness in this mine. The roof is a layer of slate 4 inches to 2 feet in thickness, above which is a hard slate grading into limestone; the maximum cover is 560 feet, and the floor is a bed of hard fire clay. The coal bed is practically flat, except for local undulations. It dips slightly to the southeast. The analysis of samples collected during the original inspection indicate the dust to be capable of self sustaining an explosion. The total employment in this mine is 151 men; 10% underground employees divided into 2 shifts, and 43 surface employees. The first shift starts at 7:30 a. m. and the second shift a 5 p. m. The average daily production of coal is about 1,650 tons and the maximum about 1,800 tons. Production for the year 1942 was 321,860 tons, and from January 1 to September 1 of this year, the tonnage was 271,432 tons. At the present rate of mining, the productive life of the mine is approximately 20 years There has been a slight decrease in the number of men employed and the daily tonnage since the first inspection. SURFACE PLANT AND EQUIPMENT TIPPLE, SHOPS, LAMP HOUSE, BINS, AND BATH HOUSE No important changes have been made in the tipple. The employees do not use safety belts while handling railroad cars to and from the tipple. Considerable dust is present in the tipple, and the V-belt from the motor to the shaker drive is unguarded. Similar conditions were observed in September 1942. Electric motors used in the tipple and cleaning plant are of the open type. The switches and controls are not enclosed and the belts, gears, and sprocket wheels on the chain conveyors were not guarded. There has been no change made in the combination repair and blacksmith shop since the September 1942 inspection. It was observed that the gears and belts on the lathe, power shears, planer, power saw, and power hammer were not guarded. There is no lamp house at this mine as all employees use carbide lamps in addition to the permissible flame safety lamps used by the mine officials. These lamps are kept, maintained, and serviced in the officials' wash house by the mine manager. The naphtha used for these lamps is kept in a glass jar, which constitutes a fire hazard. The coal-storage bin is not constructed of fire-resistant material, and fire doors are not provided at the shafts. The wash house is of brick construction, well lighted, heated, ventilated, and is provided with adequate washing facilities; however, it has only one exit, and a disinfectant foot bath is not provided. HOISTING EQUIPMENT AND SHAFTS Cages and hoisting practices are as described in the September 1942 inspection report. The shaft timbering becomes dry during the winter months, presenting a serious fire hazard. The hoisting engineers are not given a physical examination annually. The ropes and sheave wheels are inspected daily, but no record is kept of these inspections. The cages used for hoisting and lowering the men have open sides, and are equipped with safety catches that are examined daily but no tests are being made. Movable parts of the cages are not locked while men are being hoisted or lowered, and signals cannot be given from the cage to the engineer at the ground landing. SYSTEM OF CHECKING MEN INTO AND OUT OF THE MINE The check-in-and-out system does not provide a positive means of identifying the personnel underground. MINING METHODS, CONDITIONS, AND EQUIPMENT SYSTEM OF MINING The room-and-pillar method of mining is followed, pillars are not extracted, and approximately 48 percent of the coal is recovered. TIMBERING Timbering is generally good: however, no rules or printed forms are posted. Temporary crossbars are not being used; ties sawed in two are used in place of cap pieces. Testing of the roof is with a pick by both employees and mine officials, and no goggles are being used when barring down or breaking up slate. EXPLOSIVES AND BLASTING The explosives-storage magazine has not been moved or changed since the last inspection. It is of wood and sheet-metal construction, and is being used for both storage and distribution. It is barricaded on the side next to the mine opening; danger signs are provided, but are nailed onto the building; and the door is kept locked with one five-tumbler lock. No screened ventilators are provided. Dry grass and other combustible material surround the magazine. Some improvements underground have been made since the first inspection. Wooden tamping bars are being used, not more than a 24-hour supply of explosives is taken into the mine at any one time; and explosives are kept in locked boxes at all times; however, all shots are fired with fuse and caps. No fire runs are being made after blasting is done, and three and four shots are fired at one time. Examinations are not being made before and after blasting. VENTILATION AND GASES An Aerodyne 7-foot fan, belt-connected to a 250-volt direct-current motor, and operating blower is located in the mine 100 feet south of the intake airshaft, as was noted during the first inspection. The fan installation is not provided with incombustible housing, nor is it provided with weak walls or explosion doors to protect it in case of an explosion. The mine is ventilated by one continuous air current. The volume of air at the intake was 56,320 cubic feet a minute. The air was measured in all working entries and found to be sufficient, except in 20-21 south off 4 west entry, where it was found to be inadequate due to congested air courses, leaky wooden stoppings, and doors erected singly. The doors are equipped with latches and some are not self-closing. The air is not being properly conducted to the working faces as no stoppings are provided in rooms, nor are line brattices used to conduct the air from the last open crosscut to the face of working places. Several crosscuts were observed to be more than 60 feet apart, and haulage and hoisting are on the return air current. What few seals they have in the mine are inspected daily by the mine manager, and a record is kept of these inspections; however, there are several sections in the mine that cannot be inspected or ventilated and are not sealed off. The ventilating current passes these places before it reaches the active sections. The mine is operated as nongassy, and no gas was detected by means of a permissible flame safety lamp during this inspection; however, from the analyses of the air samples collected on the first inspection, it was noted that 0.38 percent of methane was being liberated at the face of No. 10 room, 27 south, 4 west, and that some methane was found in the atmosphere. This, in conjunction with the fact that approximately 300 oil wells have been drilled in this mine, some of which are liberating methane, warrants rating and operating this mine as gassy. Preshaft examinations are made with a permissible flame safety lamp, and evidence of these examinations was observed at the faces of all working places; however, the mine examiners continue to ride into and out of the mine on a locomotive. The laboratory analyses of the air samples collected during this inspection are shown in table 1. TABLE 1.-Analyses of air samples collected in No. 5 mine, Centralia Coal Co., Centralia, Marion County, Ill., Sept. 20-22, 1943 |