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By W. D. Ryan

Industry must be made to realize that "Safety First" means just that - safety first. The miner must realize that safety first takes precedence over earnings. The employer must realize that safety is the first consideration, and is not to be subordinated to profit-making. Neither employee nor employer is justified in adopting the principle of safety first with reservations; that is they will practice safety first only so long as they think that it does not interfere with earnings or profits. This paper proposes to demonstrate that suberdinating safety to possible profit is short-sighted and that over an ex- tended period of time it dres not result in increased profits or earnings. An employee through disregard of safe practice may receive an injury that will cause him a loss of earnings if, indeed, he is net killed or permanently in- capacitated. If permanently incapacitated any compensation he may receive is very likely to be wholly inadequate as compared with probable earnings if the accident had not cccurred. The employer, upon his part, will find that the burden of compensating his injured employse will far exceed the outlay of money necessary to maintain a reasonable program of safety in his mine or plant. The mine foreman is one of the most important factors in the matter of mine safety. A vigilant and competent mine foreman, once he has established the confidence of the employees in his ability as a foreman, can be of invalu- able assistance in promoting mine safety, for through him and his assistants the employees may be made to cooperate. Every employer should remember, then, that the soluction of the foremen and their assistants is one of the most important matters connected with the work of establishing the maximum amount of safety in his mine. Everyone connected with the mining industry must be made to realize that there is to be no back-sliding and no let-up in safety work; that no matter how dry and tedious the routine may seem it is absolutely essential and justi- fied for both humanitarian and economical reasons. Efficient safety effort pays dividends in actual cash to both employer and employee. About 50 per cent of underground accidents in coal mines take place at the working face where the miners dig and load the coal. Approximately 17 per cent of coal-mine fatal accidents are the result of underground haulage. Face and haulage accidents can and will be reduced materially if the individual miner takes all precautions necessary to protect himself and if the management

Jun 1, 1930

By L. J. Kane

Applications are described of various methods for determining the weight concentration and physical properties of solid and liquid impurities of gases in connection with problems encountered in synthesis-gas production. Of special interest among these methods may be listed: 1. A method developed for determining, the weight concentration of solid and liquid impurities in. hot, crude synthesis gas containing a high concentration of moisture. 2. A method developed for the same purpose but for highly purified synthesis gas or atmospheric air. 3. A method for obtaining a uniform dispersion of dry duet or, a microscope slide for particle-size determination or other purposes.

Jan 1, 1954

1. Data from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) indicate that a total of 241,502 employees worked in surface mining locations in 2003, corresponding to 212,113 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers. • Surface employees accounted for 84.6% of all mining employees. • The majority of surface employees (73.7%; n = 177,927) were mine operator employees as opposed to contractor employees. • Stone operator employees comprised the greatest percentage (27.2%; n = 65,743) of surface employees.

Feb 1, 2005

To precondition a stope in advance of mining and thus reduce or prevent rock bursts. Approach Drill deep holes from a mine opening in a radial pattern in the vein and load and blast to fracture, the rock prior to production mining How It Works Preconditioning of a sphalerite galena vein in a hard gangue of quartz and quartzite creates a zone of softer rock that fails by displacement rather than violently as an elastic-battle mass. However, the entire area must he analyzed carefully so that the stress transfer does not cause problems in other workings of the mine A typical drill hole pattern and explosive loading is shown in the sketch. Hole diameter is about 4 inches and a down-the-hole, type drill is used. Drilling speed in hard quartzite is about 12 inches per minute High pressure compressed air (250 psi) is used to run the drill. An overhand cut-and-fill stoping area on the 7700 level of Hecla Mining Company's Star Mine in Burke, Idaho was preconditioned above and below the

Jan 1, 1981

By Lon D. Santis

This paper presents data and theorem to calculate the risk of experiencing undesirable lightning related events while blasting or while engaged in other lightning sensitive activities. The paper provides an overview of lightning hazards in blasting operations and a brief history of lightning related blasting accidents. Lightning continues to be the primary cause of premature initiations of explosives in mining, on average, over two such incidents are reported to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) each year. The energy contained in lightning discharges and how this energy sets off explosives in mining is presented. Three categories of lightning warning methods: public media, lightning detectors, and atmospheric electrostatic field measurement are discussed. The remainder of the paper presents recently acquired data on the spatial characteristics of lightning development. This data is used to estimate the risk assumed by blasters under certain conditions. Risk estimations are made for electric and nonelectric blasting if persons are evacuated when cloud-to-ground (c-g) lightning approaches within a certain distance. For example, about 0.6% of all c-g lightning strikes have no other c-g lightning strikes within 25 miles in the previous 30 minutes. The paper shows that a typical blaster using nonelectric initiation in a high lightning density area with a 100% accurate lightning detector set to alarm at 25 miles would have a lightning caused unplanned detonation every 14,000 years

By Ellsworth Spencer

Noise induced hearing loss continues to afflict workers in many occupational settings despite longstanding recognition of the problems and well-known methods of prevention and regulations. Sound levels associated with heavy construction equipment range from 80 to 120 dB(A) and power tools commonly used in construction produce sound levels up to 115 dB(A).(1) The focus of this research was to determine the noise exposures of heavy construction equipment operators while documenting the workers’ tasks, (i.e. hauling, moving, and/or pushing construction material). Time-motion studies were performed at the construction sites and were used to correlate the noise dosage with the work performed by equipment operators. The cumulative dose for the operator was then plotted with references to work tasks, to identify the tasks that caused the greatest noise exposure. Three construction sites were studied for this research located in the western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio areas. The types of construction equipment studied included asphalt pavers, backhoes, bulldozers, compaction equipment, excavators, haul trucks, telehandlers, and wheeled loaders. The results showed that bulldozer operators consistently had the highest noise exposures, ranging from a NIOSH REL (Recommended Exposure Limit) dose of 844% to 25,836% and an OSHA PEL (Permissible Exposure Limit) dose of 139% to 1,397%.

"A coordinated, integrated research effort aimed at studying the scientific, engineering and medical aspects of the respirable dust problem is underway in the areas of dust generation, dust dispersion and dilution, dust characterization, interaction of dust and lungs, and relationship of seam characteristics to dust generation and mobility. (FIGURE 24) The Center's research program explores these concerns with the objective of refining existing strategies and developing new respirable dust control techniques that are consistent with the dust-lung interaction processes that lead to mine worker disability. The fundamental aspects of this work are applicable to the control of respirable dust problems in both hard rock mines and coal mines and to other dusts such as diesel-generated.Research projects in the Generic Mineral Technology Center for Respirable Dust have effected several improved methods for the preparation and characterization of the dusts needed by these projects. Superior procedures for generating ""standard"" dust samples have been developed and are in regular use in the laboratory. Questions raised during the course of some projects regarding ""stale"" versus ""fresh"" dust have led to the development of sampling techniques where the dust is directly collected in a surfactant. MSHA and CANMET have requested and received information on Center generated software. An equipment manufacturer, TSI, Inc., requesting input on modifying the inlet of an aerosol sampler has been assisted as a result of research that was conducted at the University of Minnesota.The objectives, scope and progress of all the research projects in the Center, in the form of abstracts and reports, have been detailed in Volume 1 of this series. Research papers written by the principle investigators and resulting from the findings of projects (FIGURE 25) and which are funded by U.S. Bureau of Mines grant number G1135142 have been published in Volumes 3 through 6 and Volume 8 of this series. Volume 2 relates the cooperation and interaction of the U.S. Bureau of Mines and the Generic Mineral Technology Center for Respirable Dust in research on the problem of respirable dust in the mineral industries."

Aug 31, 1989

This U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) report conveys the results of an economic analysis of minerals in the West Mojave Management Area (WMMA), including the Desert Tortoise Priority Habitat (DTPH), a proposed special land management area. Undiscovered mineral resources were estimated for the entire WMMA, which totals 8.7 million acres. Known mineral resources were studied for the DTPH, which is an area of 1.2 million acres contained within the WMMA. Federal lands within the WMMA are managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The WMMA includes Federal, State, and private lands in the western portion of San Bernardino County and the eastern portion of Kern County. The center of the study area is 20 miles northwest of Barstow, California (Figures 1 and 2).

Jan 1, 1993

By Thomas E. Lobb, Harry C. Verakis

Significant progress has been made in the reduction of serious injuries and fatalities resulting from mine blasting operations. Despite the progress, injuries and fatalities continue to occur. A leading cause of injuries and fatalities from blasting continues to be inadequate blast area security. Even though significant improvements in technology have been made, insuring adequate blast area security remains a challenge and requires constant vigilance. The advances in technology have created safer blasting products and have improved productivity and economics by enabling large, more efficient and effective blasts. However, as blasts grow larger in size, the complexity of adequately securing the blast area increases even more. Periodically the basic fundamentals involved in blasting safety should be reviewed, particularly for securing a blast site regardless of the size of the planned blast. Factors such as flyrock and toxic fumes must be taken into account to insure the safety of persons and property from the results of a blast. This paper examines the factors related to injuries due to inadequate blasting shelters and blast area security, and identifies mitigation techniques. The key concepts are: (a) accurate determination of the bounds of the blast area, (b) clearing employees from the blast area, (c) effective access control, (d) use of adequate blasting shelters, (e) efficient communications, and (f) training. Fundamentals are reviewed with an emphasis on analyzing task elements and identifying root causes for selected blasting accidents. Mitigating techniques are presented along with discussions and examples.

By McHenry Mosier

A skull breaker has demonstrated its advantages for secondary breaking in a limestone quarry by entirely displacing secondary blasting . It has reduced safety hazards to workmen, increased the number of quarry operating days , and has lowered mining costs by 2.7 cents a ton. It is believed that the application of the skull breaker can be made economically advantageous in the surface mining of other commoditics .

Aug 1, 1948

By Charles W. Huggins

Electron diffraction and electron microscopy were used to determine the unit cell parameters of garnierite [(Ni,Mg)3 Si2O5 (OH)4] and to examine its crystal habit. Bundles of ribbons, many less than 200 A. in cross section, make up the bulk specimen of the garnierite Electron diffraction revealed the unit cell to be monoclinic. Unit cell parameters were: a, 5.33 A,; b, 9.23 A.; c, 14.96 A.; and ß, 94°441.

Jan 1, 1961

By A. J. Kraemer

[A great deal of interest has been manifested in the question of sulphur in fuels for automobile engines. Many different opinions have been expressed with respect to the effect of sulphur in gasoline on engine wear and engine performance. A wide difference of opinion exists as to the permissible limit of sulphur content for satisfactory operation.]

Jan 1, 1927

By D. E. Traut

The effect of various ion concentrations on uranium absorption from a sodium carbonate solution by a strong-base, anion resin was investigated by the Bureau of Mines in support of its objective to help assure an adequate uranium supply for future needs. The studies were conducted to improve the recovery of uranium from in situ leach solutions by ion exchange. The effects of carbonate, bicarbonate, chloride, and sulfate ions were examined. Relatively low (less than 5 g/l) concentrations of chloride, sulfate, and bicarbonate were found to be detrimental to the absorption of uranium. High (greater than 10 g/l) carbonate concentrations also adversely affected the uranium absorption. In addition, the effect of initial resin form was investigated in tests of the chloride, carbonate, and bicarbonate forms; resin form was shown to have no effect on the absorption of uranium.

Jan 1, 1979

By B. Z. Zhong, T. Ong, W. E. Wallace, W. Z. Whong, Z. W. Gu, M. J. Keane

"Abstract-Diesel emission particles (DEP) from an engine operating on the Federal Test Procedure VDC were dispersed in an aqueous mixture of dipalmitoyl lecithin (DPL). a major component of pulmonary surfactant and saline and were tested for genotoxicity using the unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) assay with autoradiography techniques in cultured Chinese hamster lung cells. A DEP sample from the same source was dispersed in dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) and subjected to the same assay. Both dispersions (in DPL and DMSO) were found to induce UDS in a dose-related manner. After separation of the sample into supernatant and sediment fractions. the activity of the DEP sample was found to reside in the supernatant fraction for the DMSO-dispersed sample; and in the sedimentary fraction for the surfactant-dispersed sample. These findings further indicate that genotoxic activity associated with DEP inhaled into the lung may become bioavailable through the dispersion properties of pulmonary surfactant components.INTRODUCTIONTHE mutagenicity of diesel emission particles (DEP) has been studied intensively (LEWTAS and WILLIAMS, 1986). Carcinogenic effects of diesel exhaust in exposed animals have been reviewed (NIOSH, 1988) and an evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans from diesel engine exhausts has been published (IARC, 1989). Using components of pulmonary surfactant such as dipalmitoyl lecithin (D PL), dipalmitoyl phosphatidylethanolamine (DPPE) or dipalmitoyl phosphatidic acid (DPPA) dispersed in physiological saline, we have previously shown that diesel soots express mutagenic activities in the Salmonella histidine reversion assay system and in the sister chromatid exchange assay using the cultured Chinese hamster lung (V79) cells. Mutagenic activity of diesel soots dispersed in DPL, DPPE and DPPA was quantitatively comparable to and in some cases greater than, the activity expressed by an equal mass of soot extracted by dichloromethane-dimethyl sulphoxide (DCM-DMSO) (WALLACE et al., 1989).Unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) is accepted and frequently included, as one of the tests in the battery of assays used to assess carcinogenic-mutagenic potential -of chemicals (MITCHELL et al., 1983). In this study, induction of UDS in V79 cells by DEP, dispersed in the major component of pulmonary surfactant DPL, was carried out. The purpose of this study is to validate the suggestion generated from our previous work that mutagens associated with inhaled particles may be dispersed or solubilized in the phospholipid component of pulmonary surfactant and become active in such a phase (WALLACE er al., 1989) and to test the fractionated DEP sample using UDS assay for a more complete evaluation of its genotoxicity."

Dec 1, 1995

By C. I. Pierce

The Bureau of Mines conducted laboratory tests to determine if ultrasonic energy could reduce either the residual water or oil content of petroleum reservoir-rock samples from Appalachian area oilfields. Brine-saturated core samples were flooded with oil to residual brine saturation and subjected to 20 kilocycles per second ultrasonic energy. Then they were flooded with brine to residual oil saturation and again subjected to ultrasonic energy. Additional water displaced as a result of the application of ultrasonic energy to the flow system ranged from 0 to 4.3 percent of the original brine and averaged 1.9 percent. The increase in oil recovery as a result of the ultrasonic energy ranged from 0 to 9.0 percent of the original oil and averaged 3.1 percent. On the basis of the tests, it appears that 20-kcps acoustic waves would not have field application for oil recovery.

Jan 1, 1968

Provide a full-scale test facility where the effectiveness of all types of subsidence abatement techniques can be evaluated under controlled conditions. Background Subsidence is ground movement resulting from the collapse of overlying strata into a mine void because of failure of the mine roof, mine floor, or support pillars. The failure may propagate to the surface and be expressed as a depression, cracks, or a sinkhole. The surface expression of such features may be delayed until long after mining has been completed. Subsidence has the potential to affect more land area than any other type of abandoned mine land problem. Subsidence also causes direct damage to real property, with significant financial loss and more importantly, presents a danger to public health, safety, and general welfare. Subsidence-related problems are considered to be one of the most important abandoned mine land issues. Backfilling of mine voids is the most common stabilization method used to abate subsidence and protect surface structures. Backfilling or placement of material is performed by hydraulic flushing or pneumatic stowing, using either in-mine or remote methods. The majority of the past subsidence abatement projects has been performed using remote methods from single or multiple boreholes. Other subsidence abatement techniques arc available. For example, various point support methods are used to protect small areas of the land surface and surface structures, without completely filling the mine void. These may be more appropriate under different conditions. Little documented information is available concerning the capability of the various backfilling methods for completely filling a mine void or providing long-term structural strength. Therefore, the Bureau of Mines developed a laboratory for controlled evaluation of backfilling technologies.

Jan 1, 1991

By H. S. Chiang, Zhao. Y. F., G. C. Sun, S. S. Peng

"Chiang; H. S. West Virginia UniversityPeng, S. S. West Virginia UniversitySun, G. C. West Virginia UniversityZhao, Y. F.West Virginia UniversityDust sampling was performed in two longwall faces working in two separate seams. Instantaneous dust samples were measured by RAH's. for various locations In the longwall faces. Preliminary analysis of the data shows that in addition to the shearer's haulage speed, there are four major factors that influence the airborne dust distribution in longwall face areas: locations with respect to the position of the shearer's cutting, hardness of the materials, characteristics of water spray, and roof conditions. This paper presents the effects of those four parameters in detail.INTRODUCTIONA research project was initiated in September 1983 to measure and construct .a dust distribution map for the longwall face. During the first year, airborne dust samplings were performed in two longwall panels located in northern and southern West Virginia and working in the Pittsburgh and Eagle Seams, respectively. The physical parameters and equipment employed for both panels are 1 isled in Table 1. Figure 1 shows the detailed characteristics of the coal seams. Notice in both panels floor cutting was involved either to gain sufficient mining height or to reduce the adverse effects associated with a soft floor.The purpose of the research is to define the dust distribution at any instance in the longwall face area so that proper working positions can be determined and/or effective dust control techniques can be developed.This paper presents the partial results obtained during the first year."

Jan 1, 1988

By R. V. Ramani, A. S. C. Owili-eger

This report was prepared by The Pennsylvania State University under USBM Contract No. G0111808. The contract was initiated under the Coal Mine Health and Safety Program. It was administered under the technical direction of DMSE, with Mr. G. R. Schottler acting as the technical project officer. Mr. J. A. Herickes was the contract administrator for the Bureau of Mines. This report is a summary of the work recently completed as part of this contract during the period June, 1971 to December, 1973. This report was submitted by the authors on March 31, 1974. Part of the research reported here was originally done on a grant from the Department of Environmental Resources, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and reported in Special Research Report No. SR-95 (February 25, 1973) of the Coal Research Board, The Pennsylvania State University.

Jan 1, 1974

By David W. Tongue

This report describes the engineering work leading to the design of an underground coal mine piping system to transport approximately 2,000,000 cubic feet per day of methane gas to the surface from degasification holes drilled horizontally into the coalbed in existing coal mines. Safety instrumentation for detection of gas leaks and provisions for automatic emergency shutdown are included in the design. It also includes specifications for a safe system of handling gas, water, and drill cuttings during drilling of the horizontal holes and recommendations for compressor and metering facilities at the surface. The main pipeline is recommended to be constructed of polyethylene plastic pipe joined by a butt fusion method while lateral lines and separator and meter piping at the horizontal holes are recommended to be screwed steel piping. The materials used are to be resistant to the forces of impact exerted by falling rock. The pipelines are to be suspended from the ceiling with pipe hangers. All steel components are protected from chemical corrosion by applying protective coatings and the vertical casing to the surface is protected from electrolytic corrosion by a rectifier station. Methane gas detectors monitor the mine atmosphere to detect the presence of gas leaks and a pneumatic plastic tubing line provides for control of the safety shutdown system. Both the recommended design and the required construction procedures are in compliance with the applicable Federal codes for coal mine safety.

Jan 1, 2012

By Richard C. Repsher

Intermittent mining in the slope section at Dutch Creek No. 1 mine, Carbondale, Colo., of the Mid-Continent Coal and Coke Co. has resulted in erratic and minimal rock noise data, which, in turn, has necessitated a change in the method used to plot daily mine noise in order to be useful to the researchers at the mine. Daily and weekly cumulative plots of rock noise under these conditions have not shown significant stress changes as clearly as bimonthly or longer noise rate plots. Hence, longer term cumulative rock noise plots, as described in this Bureau of Mines report, have been added to the data analysis at Dutch Creek No. 1 mine, and have been shown to delineate unique areas of rock noise activity more clearly than shorter term plots. The longer term plots should aid in the detection and delineation of potential failure areas, when used in conjunction with other proven forms of data analysis.

Jan 1, 1979