Coal Miner Today

[Music] coal mines may vary in size complexity and in methods of mining but coal miners are the same the world over human beings with individual feelings desires and needs [Music] it is the miners work that concerns us here more specifically the creation and control of a safe and helpful environment suitable to the efficient conduct of this work the following scenes were selected by the mining enforcement and safety administration to show various coal mining tasks and the men who performed them after boarding the man trip the miners enter the mine through an opening called a portal in some mines the distance to the work area is so great that miners must spend a good part of their working day traveling as we move through the underground tunnels you may be surprised to find that it is not always as black or dark as you had expected a coal mine to be the reason for the whiteness of the sides roof and floor is rock dust a powdered limestone that has been applied to reduce the possibility of coal dust explosions the active working sections are usually some distance from the main haulage road so the men must walk from the man trip to their working places [Music] the solid exposed surface of the cold seam being mined is called the face the object is to extract coal from the face in the quickest and most efficient way possible but also in the safest way possible therefore before mining of coal is begun the working place must be made safe first the roof is sounded or tested to see whether it is safe to work under by striking the roof the miner can hear and feel if it is strong and solid or hollow-sounding and unstable a methane detector is used to check for the presence of methane gas also a flame safety lamp may be used to check for oxygen deficiency as the working places advanced bratis men hang ventilating partitions or bratis curtains to direct air to the working face and more permanent air deflectors or stoppings can be built out of cement blocks [Music] all newly exposed mine roof must be supported here we see a miner putting up steel safety jacks [Music] wooden timbers are sometimes used to support mine workings and are easily installed by the timberman often they will give warning visually or by audibly cracking sounds if the mine roof is working or in other words starting to break or fall another method for reinforcing mine roof is by roof bolting a bolting machine such as shown here is used to install the bolts the operator is positioned under an automated temporary roof support during the bolting cycle this safety feature is built into the machine and is important as protection against roof falls the bolter drills upward into the roof cutting holes into which the metal bolts will be inserted the bolts are installed in a proved pattern they are anchored into the roof by means of split cones or similar devices attached to the bolt ends that spread or flare out when the bolts are tightened the principle behind roof bolting is to clamp together the several layers of roof strata or roof beds to form a more solid composite beam that will have greater strength than that of individual beds acting separately besides supporting the roof of working places and preventing and limiting the extent of roof falls roof bolts can often eliminate the need for timbering this allows more room for movement of both men and machinery dust generated by drilling operations can be controlled by special drilling or dust collecting equipment this type of drill uses hollow drill rods through which the dust and cuttings are extracted [Applause] after the working place and the face have been checked and made ready the cutting machine operator undercuts the face of the coal so it can be blasted down readily this is the first step of the conventional mining cycle a horizontal drill or auger is then used to drill holes into the solid coal face into which the blasting cartridges will be placed the holes are drilled to the same depth as the undercut making it easier for the blast to loosen or shatter the solid cold [Music] after he has checked the roof and tested for gas the shot firer places the explosive charges into the holes using a non-sparking tamping stick the charges are pushed back firmly but gently [Music] he then tamps them closed with a plug usually of water clay or other non-combustible material this is called stemming which helps prevent blown out shots and makes the explosives more effective in blasting the coal [Music] when the holes are loaded and stemmed the shot fire wires up the blasting circuit and prepares to set off the blast [Music] fire fire fire [Music] when the smoke has cleared and the place is checked again the loading machine operator will bring his machine in and load out the coal that has been blasted [Music] the coal is loaded into electrically powered ram cars or shuttle cars [Music] the operator uses his machine to transfer coal from the loading machine at the face to the main transportation system [Music] this system may consist of rail haulage such as a train of mine cars or conveyor belt haulage conveyor belts are also used to move coal from the rooms and entries directly to a discharge point on the surface modernization and the increasing demand for coal has led to the development of faster and more efficient coal mining methods continuous mining is one of them [Music] this method involves a continuous mining machine which cuts or rips coal from the face and loads it onto conveyors or into haulage vehicles in one continuous operation [Music] the operator must be alert and able to concentrate on his job at all times [Music] continuous mining eliminates the need for cutting drilling and blasting operations this shortens the length of the mining cycle thereby increasing production and safety a built-in feature of continuous mining machines is the water sprays that help suppress the dust being generated one of the more recently adopted methods of mining coal in this country is the long wall system the coal seam is removed in one operation by a type of cutter loader with blades that are pulled along the length of the working face by a power driven chain the broken coal is carried from the face by an armored flexible conveyor steel hydraulic jacks called chocks support the roof during mining operations and protect the men working under them but regardless of the company's system of mining the environment of the workers must be considered in all operations to help provide a safe and healthy environment adequate ventilation is necessary this can be accomplished by using a ventilating fan that draws air throughout the mine workings [Music] a sufficient quantity and quality of air must be maintained wherever men are working in order to reduce the buildup of harmful dust and gases here is a section foreman measuring air velocity with an anemometer to reduce the explosibility of settled coal dust entries are rock dusted with powdered limestone this machine distributes dust over the interior surfaces of the mine the white covering of haulage ways shown at the beginning of this film were applied by a rock dusting machine this haulage road is also a good example of efficient rock dusting of all the jobs involved in the mining of coal the section foreman has a leading role his actions have great impact on the safety and efficiency of the men working under him [Music] we have shown you some of the tasks involved in various occupations of the underground coal mining industry they are all important the work of timberman electricians track men maintenance men repair men and the general laborer or mine workmen mining itself is basically hard work and involves hazards both inherent and man-made but these hazards can be identified and eliminated when safety is made the prime concern of the mine operator federal and state governments and the miners themselves [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Laughter] [Music] you