Another miner dead!

[John]

Taken from the Birmingham Post.


Probe after death at Midland coal mine

Jan 22 2007

By Steve Pain, Deputy Business Editor


Daw Mill Colliery, near Atherstone

A Midlands colliery has been ordered to temporarily shut-down following a fatal accident, it was revealed today.

Production at Daw Mill colliery near Atherstone in north Warwickshire is expected to be halted for the next four weeks following the incident. Owner UK Coal yesterday said that as a result of last week's accident – caused by a fall of ground – the Health & Safety Executive had issued an order which called for a "systematic review" of ground control requirements in an area of the mine associated with the current production phase.

"At the present time, it is estimated this will mean production at Daw Mill will be restricted for some four weeks. No other operations will be affected," the group said.

"UK Coal adheres to the highest standards of safety and deeply regrets the fatal accident. The company has offered its fullest sympathies to the family," it added.
In reaction to the news, City broker Bridgewell Securities said that on the basis of around 70,000 tonnes per week of output, the halt in production equated to lost revenue and profit of some £12 million.

That would effectively half the broker's current pre-tax profit forecast for UK Coal of £23 million.

However, Bridgewell said that while the loss of production was clearly bad news, it pointed out that the £12 million impact could be reduced through the year.

It also said Daw Mill is to experience a face change in July and over the period of enforced shutdown will be able to make some changes.

Last week's fatality was the third in eight months at Daw Mill, now Britain's biggest pit. The dead man, a 42-year-old contractor from Doncaster, was killed when the side wall of the tunnel he was working in collapsed, crushing him under a fall of coal.

UK Coal said the contractor was performing routine repair work when the accident took place and that support systems to make the tunnel safe were in place. At the time a spokesman insisted there were no "fundamental flaws" in the colliery's safety procedures.

In July last year the Health & Safety Executive launched an investigation into the death of 46-year-old Trevor Steeples, who was stretchered out of Daw Mill after collapsing underground and pronounced dead.

At the time the firm said the investigation was focusing on a build-up of methane gas in the area where Mr Steeples was working just before the incident.

The compound supervisor, from West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, was part of a team preparing for the recovery of equipment when the incident occurred.

Earlier this month UK Coal said that production at Daw Mill for the year to December 31 came in at 2.7 million tonnes, up from two million tonnes the previous year.

Daw Mill is the last remaining pit in the once thriving Warwickshire coalfield. The area once boasted about 20 pits, including Keresley, Binley, Exhall, Newdigate, Griff Clara, Griff number four, Birch Coppice, Baddesley, Arley, Pooley Hall and Ansley Hall.

[plantfit]

it's always sad news when a collegue is lost especially in todays H&S environment. Could it be possible that we are given far too many safety rules to adhere to and what the implications are if we don't stick to the rules that we can't concentrate fully with the job in hand. Don't get me wrong I fully agree with H&S at work I have to it's part of my job, but all to often I see some of our guy's tackle a job with all safety measures in place but common sense out of the window, and what do I get when I pull them up about it "I'm only doing it like the book say's" as if they are trying to prove "the book" wrong. I'm talking here about the quarrying industry although still an extractive industry I believe we are a good forty years behind the deep mine safety culture. Once again so sorry to hear of another human dying through an accident at work.

Rog

[John]

We had a few fatalities when I was at Boulby in the mid to late 70's Roger.
One was a continuous miner driver who hit a pocket of gas and got killed in the outburst.
The job was stopped for a couple of shifts and the Inspector stated in his report, "this was an unforseeable tragic accident, and it will not happen again"
The company had already suspended ALL mining operations and had initiated an advanced long hole drilling cycle in it's operations. The Inspector was totally happy with that.
Another was a good mate of mine who died when approx 30tonnes of side wall, (rib) rolled over and crushed him.
Again, the company initiated a new system of rib support. The ribs were already being bolted with 8 foot bolts! Every road was subsquently rebolted and meshed.
Just another unfortunate accident. We were in uncharted territory at those depths and in Potash a mineral not worked before in the UK.

[John]

We also at that mine had a lot of roof bolts fail, due to the massive stresses placed on them by convergence.

[limey]

Sad news indeed. Nobody should have to die to produce coal - although I know it is inevitable, it still makes me angry, and sad, that it happens.

I actually went on a visit down Daw Mill many years ago, and worked at Birch Coppice for a while. I seem to remember Daw Mill was very deep - but also mining a pretty thick seam. The numbers seem to indicate they do pretty well - over 2 million tonnes!

[John]

Good for a UK pit Limey, there's pits now producing 5 million tonnes per year from one longwall unit and a couple of developments.
Angus Place where I worked in Australia produced 48,000 tonnes per week from one unit and a couple of developments. They used an AM500 shearer.

[abdaz]

Chinese miners are killed at a rate greater than 20 per every working day .......... allegedly. Official Chinese Goverment stats. declare that in recent years this number has been around 5,500 deaths per year, but in reality many single death accidents and indeed some disasters are not reported.
Take a look here;
www.usmra.com/chinatable.htm

it is worth taking a bit of time to scroll through these tables, which are listed by months over recent years.

[limey]

That is an interesting web site - also interesting the US govt. reaction to the recent disasters here - especially that the new regs. do not go into effect until December of this year! I also wonder where the money will come from - when Carter left office in 1980, most of the funds for research and development work for US coal mining completely went away. Also interesting that they anticipate being short of people both to work in the mines, and to staff MSHA!

[John]

Daz' has been copying the 54 act for me, and I was thinking how the US coal industry would have faired under a set of laws like those??
Even we had to use common sense with the act, impossible to turn any coal if we had worked to all the rules!

Although they were dated, the NSW Coal Mines Act, was more lenient and more to coal production, while making conditions safe.
I'll copy that link to our links page.

[John]

I don't know how many have been killed U/G at Boulby potash mine since it started, but a young bloke got killed a couple of weeks back by a section of pillar that collapsed on him.
When I was there we had a miner driver killed by an outburst of gas, a miner in my district killed a few days before a Christmas by collapse of the side of a pillar, plus one injured. A fellow electrician and mate plus a miner killed in the same accident when approx 30 tonnes of rock rolled onto them.
During shaft sinking, a bloke was killed by a half inch nut falling down the shaft and striking him on his head, it penetrated his helmet and skull! A few years back, a contract electrician was killed when he was electrocuted underground, no idea what the circumstances were.