The Shuttle Car Operator

for [Music] this is a modern bituminous Coal Mine mechanized and efficient in recent years the coal mining industry has increased the tons per man output to a point that would Amaze the pick and shovel Miner of yester year as the result a more efficient means of transporting coal from the face to the main holway became necessary to meet this increasing demand trackless Hol has been widely adopted [Music] trackless Holly equipment sometimes called shuttle cars are used to transport coal from the face to the Loading points along Holly tracks in this initial coal moving stage the shuttle car has proved proed to be efficient economical and in some respects safer than track Hol but despite these advantages experience has proven that the job of the shuttle car operator is one of the most hazardous in Coal Mines approximately one out of every seven injuries to Transportation employees involve shuttle car operators shuttle car accidents are caused by either physical conditions or human failure supervisors and operators both must learn to recognize hazardous conditions and work toward their correction before injuries occur not after someone has been hurt the fundamentals for safe and efficient shuttle car holl means equipment that is safely designed and [Music] constructed safe shuttle car holl means a well-engineered and executed mining plan to suit natural conditions safe shuttle car Hol means a thorough maintenance program and last but not least it means well-trained Dependable qualified and adequately supervised men at the [Music] wheel Bill Cordic is a safe and capable shuttle car operator he was selected for this job because he is physically and mentally qualified for the assignment he is a conscientious worker alert to potential dangers that increase the hazards of his job job such as this pile of crossbars that he has pointed out to his foremen he has learned that minor things even a chunk of coal or crossbars piled along the Hol Road can cause an accident all shuttle car operators by the nature of their jobs are exposed to inherent Coal Mine hazards not encountered in any other type of work yet many become so familiar with their jobs that they fail to keep alert because of existing physical hazards and the practice of Taking Chances shuttle car operators have paid heavily the men you are about to see paid with their [Music] lives this is early Monday morning at the mallerie mine and the men are getting ready for another day's [Music] work this is Joe spatler he is a shuttle car operator with 2 years of experience on his job he is Young full of life and sure nothing will happen to him because he is a conscientious worker and appears to be alert most of the the time Joe is a good operator he checks his equipment before starting to work doesn't take chances and has never had an [Music] accident Joe knows these crossbars are low he is passed under them many times and is always remembered to [Music] duck this is the ventilation crew about to erect a temporary check curtain to assure adequate air flow at the working faces just as in many cases the Foreman selected this place because it is convenient be installed with minimum [Music] work he did not consider that by placing the check curtain here he was creating a serious Hazard for the shuttle car Operator by hiding these dangerous low crossbars [Music] okay Joe you were loaded don't forget those low crossbars something has been added since your last trip watch out don't daydream about that fishing trip you have [Music] planned look out Joe beyond that curtain is a low [Music] crossbar another case where fail to think about safety cost a life the foreman was concerned about ventilation and didn't see that he had set a trap for Joe and Joe well he must have been thinking about that fishing trip he had planned don't let this happen to you a man who does not have his mind on his job is a hazard to himself and his fellow workers [Music]