Mines Inspectors.

[John]

Strayed off the topic a bit on SR's and we don't have a thread on these Public Servants, so here we go.

My last encounter with one was the HM Electrical Inspector for the North East Area, presume out of Durham when I was at Boulby Mine.
Oddly I was in the middle of a breakdown and wasn't even aware he was supposed to be at the mine.
I had a problem with a Huwood Mk1A Conveyor Control Unit and needed the busbar cover off. Damn it was nearly a quarter mile to the lighting transformer to isolate the 240 volt supply off to it!
So I'd just undone the two nuts holding the FLP plug and pulled the plug careful and put it behind in a safe place.

I was just about to put things back together after finding the problem and correcting it when my Elec Engineer in Charge walked around the corner with the HMI!!! I could have crawled under a matchstick! EE Gods, why Lord why me???
"Everything alright John?" said my boss. Yeh right, you just caught me with my pants down with the HMI in tow, now pee off before he starts asking questions and looks at what I'm doing! ;D
At least that's what I was thinking!!
"Yeh Dave, on top of the job, I'll have everything running soon"
"OK John, I'll leave you to it, this is Mr so and so the district Elec Inspector and we are off inbye now."

Thank God I thought to myself.. Phew that was a close call!

[philipford734]

I got to know one HMI well over the years. The first time that I met him was as part of a team sealing off one side of Sutton Manor Colliery where a heating was out of control. We went with him to inspect a recently completed stopping along the loco tunnel. We where standing there when the face of the stopping collapsed exposing red hot coal wich burst into flame once the oxygen got at it. The packing bags had been filled with coal! we made a fast withdrawal out-bye to another site being prepared. He was definitely not amused. The out-bye stopping held the fire.
The next time I came across him was at Cronton Colliery, we had an explosion and he was the HMI in charge on night shift during recovery opperations. The next time that I met him was when I became manager at Coed Talon Colliery, he regurly turned up out of the blue to see how we where doing. I was lucky there that he never showed up when we had a problem. I found him most helpfull and had plenty of *Advice* from him, he always noticed that we had listend to his advice and done it his way. Happy Days.

[erichall]

Having been Deputy, Overman, Undermanager and Safety Engineer in my time in the pits, I have had much contact with HMI's. This includes the overseeing of Reportable accidents, the aftermath of 2 Fatalities, and the introduction of Free Steered Vehicles ( virtually all the pioneering work was undertaken at High Moor Colliery, in n.Derbys.) which were closely observed by the HMI's.
Each had their own personality of course, but my main observations showed that they were essentially Practical Men, who had held positions of responsiblity in the Industry (most Mining HMIs had been Colliery Managers, and most Elect and Mech HMIs had held positions as Men in charge of their respective disciplines). They knew and understood the difficulties experienced by Miners of ALL types, and I found that, if approached correctly not only could but would go out of their way to help you.
I much preffered to have an HMI inspect than to have to accompany one of the NUM Workmen's Inspectors, who often had far less practical experience of overall underground working, and could be over demanding about much smaller situations. This did not apply to all Workmen's Inspectors, however, the more permanent ones often being excellent.

[John]

A couple of posts back I mentioned my boss at Boulby Mine, Dave Horner, he was one of the few engineers I've worked under with high academic qualifications, Bachelors Degree, who could do the job practically as an electrician. He'd served his time in the north east pits from Apprentice to coal face electrician then on to Uni.
Last I head of him was he'd retired as Chief Electrical Inspector for the Queensland Mines Inspectorate. I was told he'd migrated the year after I left.
Knowing Dave, he'd have earned extremely high respect off the Colliery Elec Engineers in his district down under, very likable man and well respected by all who worked for him during my four plus years under him.

Yes we were critical of Inspectors, but they were there for our safety.

[erichall]

Must admit, the NCB Apprenticeship Schemes were excellent. I served mine as a Mining Apprentice, and the training consisted of all operations in a mine. If we had a new machine enter any mine in our Area, as an official member of the Area Staff (we were responsible to the Area Staff Officer as well as the Colliery T.O.) it followed that we were moved around to get experience on all the machines. During the training we had to serve a full period of Facework as a faceworker. The only job I never mastered was Rope Splicing, although I could juust about do it. I even did training as a Winding Engineman!
Whilst I never considered myself the equal of the people who were on the job daily, I could at least do the job, and like your electrician friend, I've cut thousands of yards whilst'spelling' the shearer operator.
During my time as undermanager, I had a disagreement with an older collier about rough working. 'Lad, I've spent twice as long as thee ont' face.' 'Ah, but consider my district. I have 2 faces , and development. Given any two faces, sod's law says that whilst one will have rough ground, the other will be good, and it's swings and roundabouts. For me, I have two faces , and the law of averages says that while one is bad, the other is good. Which face do you think I spend most time on? A good face gets perfunctory inspections, so how much of my life has been spent on good facesand how much on bad?' 'Fair enough, Lad.'
I always prided myself on the fact that I never asked a man to go where I would not go myself.
I feel that I can go back home and meet any of my old workmen, and hold my head up and be shown respect.

[John]

That was me who drove the shearer Eric, I'd examine my equipment as laid down in the regs. The face team consisted of two shearer drivers, one each end of the ranging drum shearer, one chocker, one pushing over, one at switches and one spare man, then there was the Deputy, and a fitter beside myself.
Come crib time to keep cutting, we split into two groups, if the fitter and myself weren't working we'd each join a "team of four" that's including the Deputy.
One week on T/g end of shearer, one week on M/G end of shearer, one week pushing over and one week chocking. We wouldn't cover the switch, as it was safer to stay on the face with the bulk of our equipment was there.
Made the shift go faster!!

[erichall]

Quite agree, John. I did it as a Deputy, and had been known to take a short spell even as U/manager. Not often seem the electrician do it though.
Our faces at High Moor were advance heading faces, and the face complement for an AB Shearer, was Chargeman, Machine operator, cableman, 4 Gate End men, and 6 Chockmen. this was in a three foot high seam, and imagine my surprise when I went up to the tailgate face entry to find half the face team sat in the gate. Under normal conditions, it had become their practice for one half of the team to cut one way, the others to take over and take the machine back. 'What, crawl 600 yards in the shift, Tha' must be crackers, Gaffer. Don't worry, tha'll get thi' 2 shears.'

By the way, pleased I found this site. I'm finding it absolutely fascinating.

[John]

Oct 1, 2010 5:39:06 GMT -5 erichall said:

Quite agree, John. I did it as a Deputy, and had been known to take a short spell even as U/manager. Not often seem the electrician do it though.
Our faces at High Moor were advance heading faces, and the face complement for an AB Shearer, was Chargeman, Machine operator, cableman, 4 Gate End men, and 6 Chockmen. this was in a three foot high seam, and imagine my surprise when I went up to the tailgate face entry to find half the face team sat in the gate. Under normal conditions, it had become their practice for one half of the team to cut one way, the others to take over and take the machine back. 'What, crawl 600 yards in the shift, Tha' must be crackers, Gaffer. Don't worry, tha'll get thi' 2 shears.'

By the way, pleased I found this site. I'm finding it absolutely fascinating.

That was "down under Eric, in the "colonies". They had similar regulations but adapted with common sense.
As an example, outbye equipment on intake airways was standard industrial not flameproof. ALL equipment in a hazardous zone was flameproof.
Technically, I wasn't supposed to have driven the shearer, but nobody objected, personnel transports were a different matter, but I still drove them without men in them of course, then I was testing them! All rail mounted, same goes with the electric locos, was only authorized to operate them for maintenance purposes.
Now where do you draw the line with the face supports??? All electronic controlled?? Not my problem that the only way I can "fault find" is operate them while the face is operating..... ;D

[erichall]

Not surprised, John. The story goes in our area, that if you wanted to find an electrician, all you had to do was turn over the first sleeping fitter you found, and you would find the electrician - even faster asleep.

Seriously, though, we had some splendid 'Alec's ', and they, like some of us, were authorised to operate various machinery for testing purposes, and the only way to do it was to operate the machinery. I remember when we first introduced Eimco 913 LHD's they had to be tested when the engines were operating at their highest level, in other words, on the incline, going uphill, and carrying a load. The only way we could do this was to ride in the bucket - strictly forbidden!

[John]

I think the NCB gave me a good apprenticeship Eric, but thinking back, when I left in late 1968 I was just a mediocre tradesman.
I spent a few years in the repair trade chasing money.
I ended up down one of BG's gypsum mines where I really started to hone my skills, working alone on nightshifts and having to make my own decisions. Gained loads of cable repair/jointing experience there too. We repaired our own trailing cables.
But I call my time at Cleveland Potash's Boulby Mine in North Yorks my second apprenticeship. Really honed my skills on brand new state of the art equipment. Made me a first class maintenance electrician, gained skills there I don't think I'd have got with the NCB.
One thing the NCB did for me Eric, made me lazy!!!! Working in outside industry knocked that out of me.