of mine operators for the Bureau's suggestions for installing roof bolts and to assure that the method would not be condemned as a failure because of improper installations, the Bureau trained certain Federal coal-mine inspectors and engineers to qualify as expert consultants in roof bolting, and 13 such experts are now headquartered in coal-mining areas where their services are needed. Generally the mine operators obtain the advice and recommendations of the Bureau experts before any bolts are purchased, and some States now require mine operators to obtain a permit from the State inspection agency before roof bolting can be started. Such wise precautions have contributed much to the success of this new method of roof control. Before roof bolting is adopted in any mine the Bureau of Mines recommends the following procedure: Controlled experiments to determine whether roof bolting is applicable should be made in conformance with the procedures that have been worked out by the Bureau of Mines. Bureau experiments are made under controlled conditions with auxiliary conventional supports during the initial experimentation. After a safe and economical method of bolting is determined, no deviation from this method should be made without undergoing a new experimental period. Also, if roof conditions change radically from those encountered during the initial experimental period, a new experimental period should be undergone. The attitude of mine operators toward roof bolting is described best by saying that, since 1948, when the method was generally introduced to the industry, roof bolts have been installed in 494 coal mines and 54 noncoal mines. They are used exclusively in a number of large mines; and, according to the records, when installed as recommended by the Bureau of Mines, roof bolts simply and effectively prevent falls of roof. The installations have not been made in enough mines to have a notable effect on the accident rates in the entire coal-mining industry, but the success attained at mines where they are being used indicates what may be expected as their use becomes more general. The introduction of roof bolting to the coal-mining industry marks another major contribution of the Bureau of Mines in its efforts to fulfill the primary objective of the Congress in establishing the Bureau in 1910-to prevent accidents in the mineral industries. As a further means of reducing the incidence of roof-fall accidents, the Bureau of Mines initiated, in May 1951, a roof-fall accident-prevention training program. The course will consist of about 2 hours of lecture and discussion, and will be presented to coal-mine officials and employees by Federal coal-mine inspectorsgenerally at the completion of the inspection of a mine. The course is designed to impress upon mine personnel the need for more adequate roof-control measures and to make all concerned more roof conscious. The course of training will be introduced to the industry in July 1951, and diligent efforts will be made to present it to the largest possible number of men who are exposed to falls of roof, face, or rib. Coal-mine haulage-safety section The Haulage-Safety Section of the Coal Mine Inspection Branch was established in December 1950 to reduce haulage accidents in coal mines by a study of causes; to further study the trend of modernization and its possible effect on safety records; to establish job-safety-training instruction for haulage employees, based upon haulage safety fundamentals and accident experiences; to conduct haulagehazard surveys by trained personnel, and to promote a safety campaign to reach all persons connected with coal-mine transportation. During the second half of this fiscal year the following accomplishments were realized through activities of this Section: Information Circular 7604, Analysis of Haulage Fatalities in Bituminous Coal Mines, 1950, was prepared and published. Preliminary studies and essays for the following proposed short movies depicting safe haulage practices were completed: 1. Coal-mine transportation. 2. Safe haulage roads. 3. Safe operation of shuttle cars and conveyors. 4. Safety practices for nonhaulage employees. Shooting of the motion-picture film entitled "Coal Mine Transportation" was initiated. The text material and outline for job-safety training of haulage employees was prepared and was introduced to the industry in April 1951 in southern West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Indiana, and Illinois. 96177-52-27 A total of 257 training classes at mines was conducted, and 8,538 letter certificates were issued to officials, haulage employees, mine-safety committeemen, and nonhaulage employees up to June 30, 1951. The Bureau of Mines was represented at meetings of the subcommittee for the revision of transportation standards, American Standards Association, and technical information on haulage was assembled and compiled for use by the committee. Technical papers on coal-mine haulage safety were prepared and presented at coal-mining institutes. Information pertaining to haulage-accident occurrence and safe practices as well as technical data were furnished to numerous companies and organizations requesting such information. Injury and employment data One of the special duties of coal-mine inspectors and engineers of the branch is to enlist the cooperation of coal-mine operators in submitting to the Bureau of Mines reports on injury and employment statistics. If an operator needs instruction on how to fill out the proper forms, the inspector or engineer is prepared to give the advice needed. This work is done at the time the mine is being inspected, and has resulted in the submission of more and better reports by mine operators. Ventilation surveys One mining engineer of the Coal Mine Inspection Branch is assigned to devote full time to coal-mine ventilation studies, surveys, and research. Especially difficult ventilation problems are encountered in mines from time to time, and mine operators request the Bureau's assistance in solving them. Generally these studies require pressure surveys and technical calculations that the regular coal-mine inspectors are not equipped to make. Explosives surveys Mining-explosives engineers of the Branch conducted special investigations with respect to the storage, transportation, and use of explosives and blasting device during the year. Generally, such studies are made at the request of mine operators who are interested in improving the safety and economy of their operations. The Bureau of Mines has advocated the exclusive use of permissible explosives or permissible blasting devices in coal mines for many years, and had advised agaist the use of black blasting powder and dynamite, which have caused so many gas and dust explosions with attendant heavy casualties. The miningexplosives engineers did a considerable amount of educational work, demonstrating to mine operators by performance tests in the mines that the use of permissible explosives is much safer and as economical as black blasting powder. Through their efforts and the efforts of the regular coal-mine inspectors, the use of dangerous black blasting powder was discontinued in 192 coal mines during this fiscal year. Miscellaneous work by the mining-explosives engineers is recorded in appendix F of this report. Electrical surveys The Mining-Electrical Engine rs of the Branch conducted special technical investigations of electricai facilities and installations in coal mines, generally at the request of mine operators. The engineers also were assigned to cooperate with the industry in conducting research work on electrical apparatus with a view toward designing safer equipment. The miscellaneous activities of the mining-electrical engineers are included in appendix F of this report. Dust surveys During the period January 21-31, 1946, a course of instruction in the determination and control of unhygienic dusts was given by personnel of the Bureau's Health Branch to 20 employees of the Safety and Coal Mine Inspection Branches. The object of the training was to provide each main field station with a qualified man to determine the concentration of air-borne dusts in coal mines and to cooperate with dust experts of the Health and Safety Branch in conducting such surveys. The importance of dust control in coal mines in recognized by the mining industry, and the Bureau of Mines is continuing its research work on mine dusts with the view toward collecting enough data to be used as a basis for determining the concentrations of certain dusts that are considered harmful from a health standpoint and to determine the method and type of facilities best suited for controlling dusts. The Bureau's reports on dust surveys are becoming more important because of the great increase in rock drilling in coal mines. In promoting the adoption of roof bolting, the Bureau has been aware of the health hazard introduced by drilling holes in silica-bearing formations. The industry was urged to take the necessary precautions to overcome this health hazard and has been active in cooperating with the manufacturers of mining equipment in designing and developing suitable dust collectors for this purpose. In keeping with Bureau policy to see that proper equipment is available to the industry, a schedule for testing dust colectors at the Bureau's central experiment station has been completed and will be published in the near future. Federal coal mine inspectors loaned to other agencies Cooperation with other Federai agencies included the following assignments of personnel of the Coal Mine Inspection Branch to special foreign duty during this fiscal year: 1. One coal-mine inspector was loaned to the Department of the Army in August 1949 to assist in the fuel program in Korea. This assignment was completed in February 1951. 2. One mining engineer was assigned to the Economic Cooperation Administration in May 1949 to serve as adviser to the Turkish Government in developing coal mines. This mission is still being carried on. Such assignments of engineers and inspectors serve a twofold purpose: (1) The agency to which the Bureau experts are loaned receives the benefit of their wide experience in mining and the experts add to their fund of knowledge, and (2) the information obtained through such special work is made available to the mining industry if such action is deemed in the public interest. Revision of State coal mining laws Since 1947 personnel of the Coal Mine Inspection Branch has assisted in preparing proposed revisions of the coal-mining laws of 12 States. The Safety Regulations Section of the proposed revisions was designed along the lines of the Federal Mine Safety Code, thus assuring more modern and standardized State coal-mining laws, and they have been adopted in Alabama, Colorado, Maryland, Montana, Tennessee, and Wyoming. Proposed revisions of such laws for Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Oklahoma were prepared, but either they were not enacted or were not introduced in the legislature. Three of the four proposals prepared in 1950 to be considered at the 1951 sessions of the various legislatures were enacted into law substantially as written. The Bureau of Mines will continue to furnish this service to any agencies directly concerned with improving State mining laws, such as labor organizations, coaloperators' associations, and State officials. This contribution toward the reduction of injuries in coal mines is another major and vitally important step taken by the Bureau to fulfill its obligations to the coal-mining industry. PUBLICATIONS The following Bureau of Mines publications, issued during the fiscal year 1951, were prepared by personnel of the Coal Mine Inspection Branch: Publication Information Circular 7603.. Title Ventilation Methods and Safety Measures Used in the Information Circular 7604........ Analysis of Haulage Fatalities in Bituminous Coal Information Circular 7605.. Information Circular 7609 Mines in 1950. Falls of Roof: The No. 1 Killer in Bituminous Coal Why Men Were Killed in Anthracite Mines of Pennsyl- Authors G. B. Fritts. R. L. Bolmer. M. J. Ankeny, T. L. Back. H. F. Weaver. J. J. Forbes. H. F. Weaver. Personnel of the Coal Mine Inspection Branch prepared numerous papers on all phases of coal-mine safety for presentation at safety institutes and safety meetings. A record of such special work is included in appendix F of this report. APPENDIXES APPENDIX A PERSONNEL OF THE COAL-MINE-INSPECTION BRANCH EMPLOYED, AS OF JUNE 30, 1951, AND COAL AREA COVERED BY EACH FIELD UNIT REGION I S. H. Lorain, regional director, Anchorage, Alaska Ludlow G. Anderson, engineer-in-charge, Anchorage, Alaska Francis G. Graham, clerk-stenographer, Anchorage, Alaska. REGION II S. M. Shelton, regional director, Albany, Oreg. Coal area covered: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. T. R. Mark, Jr., coal-mine inspector, Billings, Mont. John H. East, Jr., regional director. E. H. Denny, division chief. REGION IV A. C. Moschetti, section supervisor, Denver, Colo. Coal area covered: Colorado, New Mexico (except coal mines on Indian land), and Wyoming (counties of Carbon, Converse, Campbell, Johnson, Natrona, and Sheridan). J. E. Bailey, coal-mine inspector, Denver, Colo. J. J. Bastalich, Jr., coal-mine inspector, Denver, Colo. Arthur Charlesworth, coal-mine inspector, Denver, Colo. R. E. Evans, coal-mine inspector, Denver, Colo. J. Freeman, coal-mine inspector, Denver, Colo. G. B. Fritts, coal-mine inspector, Denver, Colo. C. T. Hallett, coal-mine inspector, Denver, Colo. D. R. Ratkovich, coal-mine inspector, Denver, Colo. Margaret M. Ólsen, clerk-stenographer, Denver, Colo. Jeanne M. Wildy, clerk-typist, Denver, Colo. R. D. Reeder, section chief, Salt Lake City, Utah. Coal area covered: Utah and Wyoming (Fremont, Hot Springs, Lincoln, Ezekiel B. Confer, health and safety engineer, Rock Springs, Wyo. Andrew J. Kopp, coal-mine inspector, Salt Lake City, Utah. Thomas H. O'Neal, coal-mine inspector, Salt Lake City, Utah. William M. Merritts, health and safety mining engineer, Salt Lake City, Thomas T. Reay, Jr., coal-mine inspector, Price, Utah. William Roberts, coal-mine inspector, Rock Springs, Wyo. Iona R. Ayre, clerk-stenographer, Salt Lake City, Utah. Allen D. Look, section chief, Phoenix, Ariz. Coal area covered: Arizona and Navajo and Zuni Indian Reservations in REGION V Paul Zinner, regional director, Minneapolis, Minn. John A. Johnson, division chief, Duluth, Minn. Coal area covered: North Dakota, Iowa, and Michigan. REGION VI C. W. Seibel, regional director, Amarillo, Tex. Coal area covered: Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, and Texas. REGION VII Hewitt Wilson, regional director, Norris, Tenn. Mary G. Stevens, clerk-typist, Birmingham, Ala. Charles H. Dodge, branch chief, Jellico, Tenn. Ira Amburgey, coal-mine inspector, Jellico, Tenn. Peter F. Stevenson, coal-mine inspector, Jellico, Tenn. Fred W. Stout, coal-mine inspector, Jellico, Tenn. G. McKinley Braden, safety representative, Jellico, Tenn. Lois G. Trammel, typist, Jellico, Tenn. Gladys M. Warming, clerk-typist, Jellico, Tenn. REGION VIII H. P. Greenwald, regional director. James Westfield, Jr., division chief. W. D. Walker, Jr., branch chief, Pittsburgh, Pa. Coal area covered: Pennsylvania (Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, John E. Bradburn, coal-mine inspector, Pittsburgh, Pa. |