Safety On The Move - Track Haulage Safety (1982)

[Music] technology has progressed more during the first seven decades of the 20th century than it has at any other previous period of recorded human history [Music] progress in Holly Transportation Systems of surface mines and Mills has also been rapid during the same [Music] period but often in our Drive for better bigger and faster things there are potential hazards that come with the increase in size complexity and speed of the newer more modern mining machines [Music] although one of the biggest causes of Hol fatalities is when a vehicle is driven at excessive speed from one work area to another there are other serious hazards involved in truck Hol that must be considered one problem often encountered is when backing up during dumping operations the accident usually occurs when the truck operator overt travels or backs his vehicle over the edge of the bank this often happens because the bank is loose and unstable because there is no burm or inadequate burn or because there is no truck spotter to Signal the driver when he is close enough to the [Music] [Music] edge another accident which was caused at least in part by a visibility problem recently occurred at a sand and gravel operation where large bottom dump tractor trailer trucks were used to dump into a grizzly in this case there was a dump man there to help spot the truck over the grizzly for some reason he walked out of sight of the driver and behind the truck not realizing that the dump man was behind him the driver backed up the accident was caused by the driver and dump man not maintaining visual contact the truck did not have an automatic backup alarm system nor did it have a rear view mirror on the right [Music] side visibility is a safety problem for the truck operator created largely because of the trend to use increasingly larger Hol trucks in today mining operations in most instances as the trucks have become larger the truck driver's visibility has been affected [Music] adversely one specific problem area is that of personnel on foot and service Vehicles operating around big trucks a person and even a pickup truck can be lost or not seen in blind spots created by the huge size and by the design of most trucks presently in our [Music] operation safety rules for drivers of smaller Vehicles should be established and the vehicles marked for easier visibility Personnel such as dump men should be required to wear high visibility vests especially at night [Music] to improve the truck driver's Vision in the blind areas large quarter sphere bus type and convex mirrors can be installed to help minimize the visibility hazards the best mirrors and mirror positioning possible should be [Music] provided backup alarms are another effective means of preventing backing accidents all moving equipment should have Auto automatic backup alarms that sound off whenever the vehicle is operated in reverse and are audible above the surrounding noise level these alarms serve as a warning and help the operator regulate other vehicle movements Sur his machine to further increase the safety of the trucks and other mobile equipment in the mining area a definite traffic pattern or traffic flow procedure must be established on operators must know the traffic rules and Obey them and they must operate their vehicles with caution at all [Music] times along with being cautious a truck operator should be courteous a loaded machine cannot be maneuvered as easily as an empty [Music] one for this reason a loaded truck generally has the right of way failure to yield the right of way has resulted in some serious accidents in our open pit mining [Music] industry in one such incident a driver of a 150 ton truck was returning to the power shovel for another load the route for empty trucks returning from the waste dump intersected the main Hol Road not far from the dump meanwhile another truck loaded with waste material was approaching the waste dump area via the main Hol Road as they both approached the intersection the driver of the loaded truck assumed the empty truck would stop the empty vehicle was proceeding to the intersection at a slow rate of speed but [Music] to help truck operators to be more aware and keep alert all Hall Roads should be posted with the permissible speed limits these speed limits should be obeyed at all times but it must also be remembered that road conditions can govern speed ice snow and rain can set speed limits of their own therefore an operator must not only read the speed limits but he must also think and use common sense his personal good judgment has a lot to do with his staying healthy and [Music] Alive lack of good judgment combined with disobedience of safety rules goes a long way toward setting up an accident a truck driver was approaching on a downgrade when he was hailed by a fellow worker he stopped his truck and left it without observing proper parking procedures as far as I know they are I checked them yesterday when the unattended truck began to roll forward your truck he tried to catch it with disastrous [Music] [Applause] [Music] results to prevent this kind of accident Personnel should observe proper parking procedures before leaving the cab when parking on a grade the wheels should be turned into a burm or Bank the transmission put into low gear or Park parking brake set and the engine stop when available wheel chocks should be placed a hall truck in an emergency situation may be backed into a high burm or bank and all other parking procedures observe the direct cause of most truck Hol accidents is the operators losing control of the vehicle but contributing factors also play a big part mechanical failure such as defective brakes is a hazard that sometimes contributes to vehicle [Music] accident hazards caused by mechanical failure can be overcome by a good preventive maintenance program particular attention should be given to the brake system they should be checked and serviced regularly by the maintenance department after repairs the vehicle should be Road tested before being put back into use when descending grades the operator should work the brakes as conservatively as possible to maintain good air pressure for emergencies and should keep in the low range [Music] Road surfaces should be graded and kept free of debris to assure safe hauling locations in which trucks are required to operate on grades are particularly hazardous near excavations ramp edges or drop offs there should be guards barricades or BMS to minimize the possib of an uncontrolled machine running off the side although it is preferable to have them higher BMS must be at least as high as the mid axle of the largest vehicle using the roadway and they should be properly maintained at all [Music] times the machine the holl truck no matter how powerful it may be or how useful it can prove itself on the job is just a large configuration of metal and rubber without the guiding hands feet and mind of the operator an operator must be capable of giving the big trucks his total concentration he must be alert and think of what he is doing at all times he must be constantly aware of what is going on ahead behind and on each side of the machine and he must drive defensively be prepared to act quickly if an emergency arises the operator of today's Hol trucks has a great responsibility besides being a skillful driver he must be knowledgeable in safety rules and practice here are some of the more common Hol safety factors he must remember and practice when following another vehicle keep a safe distance allowing enough space to stop in case of an emergency pass only in areas of adequate clearance and visibility be cautious and be courteous remember that a loaded machine generally has the right of way do not Coast steep grades require extra precautions stay in gear and use the brakes or decelerator to slow down or stop never free wheel engine RPM should be maintained to give the control needed slow down on rough terrain besides possible back or kidney injury you can be lifted off the seat and lose control of the [Music] machine use caution When approaching railroad crossings the noise level of your truck May obscure the sounds of oncoming rail [Music] traffic use the seat belt then make certain it is fastened snugly observe correct parking procedures when the vehicle is to be left unattended special parking trenches may be used or wheel chocks placed generally it is safer for the driver to be in the truck while it is being loaded however when large Boulders are being loaded it is better to be out of the truck and a safe distance away it is is possible that a mishandled shovel load may hit the truck and crush the [Music] driver do not Mount or Dismount from a moving truck of any kind no matter how slowly it may be going [Music] as a truck operator you must learn the safe correct way of doing a job the way that will enable you to prevent accidents while operating your machine about 175 to 180 your oil pressure about from 45 many safeguards and safety features are being engineered into the design of modern trucks by the manufacturers but while such efforts are underway to make these Hol Vehicles more mechanically and structurally safe safe accident prevention through educational and instructional means must be taught now okay make sure you Blow Your Horn before you start okay right on the necessity for everyone to become safety-minded cannot be overemphasized therefore it becomes the responsibility of everyone involved in mining where trucks and other Hol equipment are in use workers and management alike to do their part to truly keep safety on the move [Music]