So I got another new batch about a month ago. Most are just kids but some older ones as well. Now we all have what we call Baskets in the locker room. They are on a Pulley system and you lower them and keep your stuff either in the Basket or Hanging on the side, All of your Mining Clothes Boots and Belt which has everything you need. Most belts have suspenders to help hold 75 pounds of Gear. Now I have told EVERY single one of the new guys to just keep your gear in your basket and turn your lights into the Dispatch and they will keep your lights charged with your name on them. INVARIABLY a lot will take their light home to frog Gig or Coonhunt and forget to bring it back first night back. No Problem I keep some extras. BUT why does a newbie take his rescuer home to show his Girlfriend or kids??? BIG NO NO!!! That Rescuer has your ID programmed into it so they know when Stuff goes south EXACTLY where your Body is and also if you are still alive and gas is flooding in when you open that rescuer to put your mask on when you open that up you pop the seal and it IMMEDIATELY sends a signal into outer space satellites and Mine rescue and Fire and Paramedics are notified. Last night on my night off I got my message to get to the Airport and we had a rescue job to do. I sat at the Air Guard for about 2 hours before finding out some Newbie Miner brought his home and his kids opened it up!! Someplace in Kentucky some Miner has some explaining to do. Hope he does not get fired just a good reaming and a lesson learned. I hope my newbies learn a message from this. It will definitely be a part of our Safety meeting tonight.

Y'all get any veterans?

When I got my underground and surface certifications I had been around the block enough to take that crap seriously. Never did get hired on so never put any of it to use though.

But running heavy equipment on the largest firing ranges in central europe where a dud anything from wwii to present could turn up in your bucket tends to sharpen your spidey senses.

Coal mining has to be right at the top when it comes to hazardous occupations.

2 rules I have don’t climb higher then I absolutely need to and don’t go underground ever that has served me well for many years. LOL

Most are veterans. But getting fewer since most are retiring

Some people never learn that safety rules are for a reason and will be enforced. Walking under an Unsupported top is the DUMBEST thing I have ever seen.

I do not like Heights but used to work on a roofing crew in High School during Summers. Don't mind Low Coal but would rather be in 6 to 8 foot top. Right now we are in 3 foot at the highest. That sucks. Everything is harder to do when you are crawling

wives and kids have a million questions what dad is doing

probably should just have a top side tour after they have a week or two on the job and they can see a bunch of stuff that they can't take home and your rescue equipment and everything with good explanations , call it family orientation. 2 hours and serve some hot dogs and soft drinks that way the family gets educated , you might even come up with a few extra things you want the wives to know that the guys might not tell them.

to keep the stuff from going home

also for the next 5 classes of new miners you get , that guy should have to give the talk why you never bring your rescuer home.

they all see him have to explain to the next class why and what they will be doing if they do.

Always has to be one who feels they can handle the rules but also push them, I work in the copper mine here in the city
stringent safety is an understatement, I understand your plight very well !

Just last rotation one of the hauler drivers was caught on camera acting weird so to speak, these trucks weigh over 350 tons unloaded and can carry another 420 tons fully loaded !

Well this person was on camera under watch due to actions that go contrary to driving rules, mainly speed on sloping roads, the truck was loaded and was clocked at 55 miles an hour on a 4 degree slope with video evidence on two wheels several times, needless to say it was it raised the Mayday alarm, as this was an active haulage road, it was blocked and radio notice went out it was shut down.

Truck ran into a berm finally and stopped, driver was found unconscious with open liquor containers in the cab, a senior tenure driver as well many years experienced, not here any longer and sacrificed the vested retirement to a broken safety infraction that really could of killed the driver and many others if the video camera had not noted the speed.

You are not alone with just young people making mistakes, happens to all once to some degree. most learn, this person just learned how to hide the problem they had until high tech caught up !!

I am editing to say this is an open pit copper mine, not comparable to underground but the safety standards are much the same and no room to mess with, anything we work with in the mine can end your life in an instant !

what kind of rescuers do you all use. When i worked in the mine we had Drager self rescuers. The mine i was in was a deep limestone mine. We had 23 foot ceiling height in the headings and 60 foot ceilings in the highback

Yeah we do not use those Dragars anymore. They are way too big too be crawling around with. We carry the W-65's and they only weigh 2.2 pounds and are as small as a small canteen. About 10 years ago we switched. They have a shelf life of 15 years and are checked yearly. We check mit by checking the sight Glass.

In the gypsum mines they weighed the self rescuers annually. It was an interesting job with too much overtime. 12 foot main seam and was roof bolted using resin bolts in a 6 ft by 6 Ft pattern after all loose overhead was bared down. Nothing over 6 ft square and 15 ft long went down the shaft. Last truck I helped weld back together took 600 Lbs of welding rod. Once service life of equipment is done they are cannibalized and park in an unused section of mine. All organic refuse has to be hauled out to dispose of.

I think newbies need to pay attention, safety and accountability is serious business.
I spent 16 years underground (hard rock) mining.
Had some close calls, and lost some good co-workers.
No place to to mess around, if they don't take safety seriously they will sooner or later.
Hopefully sooner than later.

Our Roof Bolt plan varies. It depends on our Sonar tests and also it depends if there is another seam of Coal above the one we are mining. Then we do it differently and I set charges between the Roof Bolts and bring the slate down so they can bring in the Continuous Miner in and ramp up to the next seam.

You are soo right. I told one kid that if I ever caught him under an unbolted roof EVER again he would be fired. He did not listen and Travis the Mine inspector caught him and he was fired. At least he is alive.