SAFETY ON THE MOVE

[Music] [Applause] [Music] no area of mining is more potentially dangerous than haulage and transport even though great improvements in the coal industry safety record are still being made seventeen men died and 176 were seriously injured on haulage and transport systems last year i'd never had an accident before and i thought i never would i was sure that i knew everything had all the pit sense i needed after 15 years in the mines it shouldn't have happened i know that now but it did i suppose i was lucky really i'm still here but it shouldn't have happened it needn't have happened i was in the wrong place i was in the wrong position for the job i was doing if only albert had used a proper rail stop if only had been standing clear if only well [Music] wow [Music] mine cars can be repaired they can be cleaned up to look as good as new but men can't there are a few accidents that haven't happened before carbon copy accidents months after months year after year people do the same dangerous things without giving it a thought let's start with the manager's transport rules they tell you how to use the system safely they're based on experience and know-how and they're supported by law but we don't always read them even if we do they become part of the underground background half forgotten and too often ignored here loose shunting has led to a set creeping over a set of points in by the loco driver is in a hurry he decides to push his set out instead of turning round he can't see the front of the set but there's never anything up ahead anyway the deputy is on his rounds checking the tannoy sounds he takes a shortcut between the cars [Music] loose shunting driving from the wrong end are against the rules and dangerous this set is standing well clear of the points with rail stops on the loco is hauling correctly remember fifty percent of fatal haulage accidents involve people who aren't haulage men all too often officials to leave an unbreak loco with its motor running and then try to squeeze past an obstruction is suicidal folly where clearances are tight they should be increased and the profiles checked not all positioning accidents concern inexperienced men what begins as a routine job can turn into a nightmare away from the bogeys an electrician is at work this man is going to commit the sin of improvisation he's using a piece of scrap wire to couple bogey to minecraft he'd tell you he's often got away with it in the past and that going off to get a proper chain would hold up the job [Music] no drag on the set no warrick in the drift [Music] result another fatality always use an approved haulage chain put a drag on the set never work behind vehicles moving uphill even on well-maintained and regularly inspected tracks the unexpected can become reality a correctly lashed set of cars about to negotiate a bend watch the rope as it slips off the roller two broken legs a lad who was in the wrong place at the right time it can't be said too often follow the rules operate the system safely and when the unexpected does happen keep right on according to the book a derailment and it's tempting to improvise spare lengths of timber are no substitute for the proper tools it may take a moment or two to get the right equipment but what are a few moments against injury for life the right way using the right equipment is always the safe way on this roadway arch distortion is going to cause a holdfast there's a lot of tension built up in that rope and it's asking for trouble to try to lever the car back without first releasing it in the first place the displaced arch should have been noted and reported but if a holdfast does take place the haulage must be reversed in order to relieve the tension in the rope while this is being done the men must stay at least five yards from the set and the displaced arch must be reported and dealt with [Applause] [Music] here's an instance of bad communication one haulage driver one set approaching a manchester gate one land the driver took the flashing of the cap lamp to mean carry on the gate was still closed the lad didn't stand a chance but the experienced man with him should have known better the correct way is the safe way the set is stopped clear of the gate so that it can be opened then and only then from the correct signal to start be given on the signaling system that's installed precisely for that purpose [Music] even in the well-lighted and secure surroundings of a loco garage there are hazards this time born out of sheer stupidity ignoring the rules and being abetted by an onlooker trying to drive a loco from outside the cab a procedure that's forbidden and unforgiving [Music] a rope hold load being eased round a curve spot the mistakes here bad position a badly secured load out of balance with the inevitable consequence [Music] there's no excuse for not using the proper tackle and for not using common sense that way no one's going to get hurt there are many ways in which research and the introduction of new ideas are making haulage safer the bentink slot creeper is just one of them this is a device which will transfer a set of cars from one haulage rope to another operating at right angles men are kept out of the way and the set is fully under control and in safety all the time ways of controlling traffic are becoming more sophisticated with the aim of keeping men away from the danger areas a remotely controlled warwick for example again a remotely controlled horizontal manchester gate safety on haulage has got to be implemented by all of us men and management alike every incident can be controlled even the potentially disastrous hazard of a runaway manner [Music] safety on haulage means control control of men's actions and the increasingly rigorous control of machinery safety on haulage means using the right equipment for the job it means keeping yourself out of trouble keeping yourself in the right place at the right time it means making use of the simplest safety precautions it means leaving nothing to chance using the proper signals for instance which are laid down for each procedure above all safety on haulage and transport means sticking to the rules you