The Shuttle Car Operator

e [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 Holly has been widely adopted [Music] [Music] trackless Hol equipment sometimes called shuttle cars are used to transport coal from the face to the Loading points along Hol tracks in this initial coal moving stage the shuttle car has proved to be efficient economical and in some respects safey than track holl 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 rec 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 Hol 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 the 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 such as this pile of crossbars that he has pointed out out to his Foreman he has learned that minor things even a chunk of coal or crossbars piled along the Hol Road can cause an [Music] 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 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 for another day's [Music] work this is Joe spatler he is a shuttle car operator with two 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 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 has passed under them many times and is always remembered to duck [Music] 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 and the curtains could 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 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 planned [Music] look out Joe beyond that curtain is a low [Music] crossbar another case where failure to think about safety cost a life the Forman 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] [Music] it's lunchtime at the Fallen be mind let us join this group of men let's listen to them or rather let's listen to Gabby the shuttle car operator I wonder if Gabby ever stops talking I bet that he even talks in his sleep you can readily see why they call him Gabby and as we shall see he not only causes injury to himself but can also cause injury to [Music] others in this mine the equipment is modern and appears to be wellmaintained the roads are well-kept and maintained however in the initial mining operation thin coal was encountered and some low Timbers were erected the Timbers are high enough under ordinary conditions but they are not high enough for what Gabby does Gabby's different he never passes up a chance to talk he has forgotten about these low crossbars in his anxiety to get in the last [Music] word yes it was his last word another life lost Gabby didn't think he was Taking Chances he just forgot just as the foreman forgot to have those irregular crossbars corrected they are being corrected now but it's too late for Gabby we are at the Bentley mine this mine produces about 4,000 coal a day the shuttle car operators have a good safety record trouble occasionally develops in mining equipment something suddenly went wrong with this one looks like a power failure the cable may be cut broken or the nips at the nipping station may have been removed Pat decides to [Music] investigate this is Hank the driller and his helper they are tramming with the drilling machine to the working face a little behind in their schedule so they are anxious to get going [Music] not knowing where the operator has gone Hank although he has never run a shuttle car feels confident that he can move it out of the way after all it shouldn't be much different from the drill truck or an automobile Pat looking for the trouble finds the cable to be okay to this point so he proceeds to the nipping station better leave it alone why take a chance with a piece of equipment you don't understand Pat will be back shortly Pat finds his troubles here at the nipping Point hold it Hank these cars operate it different than you think it takes training and experience to operate one [Music] safely unauthorized or inexperienced men should not attempt to operate strange equipment your first mistake may be your last this is the King number four mine it is a model mine and production is high the operation is geared up and workers appear to be in a hurry to keep production at a high level safety features are sometimes overlooked such as a low crossbar at the loading site lack of a stop block and needed repairs to this sticking foot switch which controls starting and stopping the [Music] car Luke Anderson is the mechanic emergency repairs come often and Luke just now has more than he can handle he is repairing one machine and is told to fix three [Music] more Clyde plumber the operator is a conscientious employee he is anxious with the loading rate Clyde decides to call the sticking foot switch to the attention of Luke Luke has troubles too so he tells Clyde to get along the best he can for a while and he'll fix it later later later later how many times have you heard this refrain most people mean well when they say it but later is sometimes too late on his return trip from the face with a loaded shuttle car Clyde appears to have trouble again he is not a mechanic but he feels he must keep going if at all possible so he again tries to free the sticking foot switch [Music] yeah it's working he thinks but as he goes up the loading ramp the foot switch sticks again makeshift repairs cost Clyde his life another good man lost to the mining industry [Music] most shuttle car accidents are due to a combination of factors a moment of thoughtlessness can be serious especially when an emergency occurs this is a well timbered intersection in the Bolton mine a shuttle car operator can tram around easily if he is careful and alert Frank is careful and alert most of the time but will occasion Ally take chances so far he's been lucky and has not had an [Music] accident but today his shuttle car went out of control when the front wheels struck a cap piece [Music] Frank took his hand off the steering wheel just as the shuttle car went out of control a split second of carelessness that caused his [Music] death yes shuttle car accident can be prevented but it will not be easy everyone connected with the industry must cooperate to meet this challenge each individual has a responsibility that must be met shuttle car manufacturers must give more attention to designing safe equipment more protection for the operator is a prime [Music] necessity greater attention must be paid to physical conditions hazards must be eliminated every man the foreman shuttle car operator Timber man or laborer each must do his part to assure the safest possible working conditions maintenance must be planned and carefully executed equipment must be kept in first class condition officials must see that the men selected to operate shuttle cars are well Tred qualified and [Music] supervised in the final analysis you shuttle car operators are the most important Link in the chain of accident prevention upon you rests the power to prevent most shuttle car [Music] accidents accept that responsibility work safely and use common sense remember your future or your buddy's future depends upon how safe you do your job [Music]