Month: March 2019

mproved spacial awareness assures worker safety and security as they carry out day-to-day tasks, and is an essential investment for staying on the right side of Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) regulation.

These guarantees can be best achieved through technology such as proximity detection devices, as well as by using LED mining lasers.

LED mining lasers, which are able to penetrate thick smoke and dust, allow miners to see through potentially dangerous blackouts.

Carroll Technologies Group supplies a range of such lasers from Laser Tools Co. Inc. (LTC), a leading supplier of LED solutions for the mining industry. These instruments are also specially designed and manufactured in line with MSHA guidelines.

With products shippable from over 13 different distribution centers across North America, over 800 mines rely on Carroll Technologies every day for their mining safety needs. Plus, the MinerCare 24/7 support line is only a phone call away for Carroll’s customers, giving them peace of mind in the knowledge that help is only seconds away.

Carroll Technologies Group supplies a variety of different Strobe laser models from LTC, such as the LED Strobe. The device will flash a bright LED strobe laser every few seconds and is visible from over 100 feet down a mine shaft.

These mining lasers have a red, blue, green and yellow warning light system

The red LED can be used to warn the mining staff of an unsupported roof, while blue LEDs are intended for water distribution. This green light gives users the ability to mark permissible entry points to a mining site with a number of different colors, which can act as beacons in hazardous machinery conditions. Finally, yellow LEDs can be used to mark out man trip and transport vehicles.

The lighting system can also be used as an in-by or out-by directional indicator, or to mark out a refuge center storing a collection of self-contained self-rescuers. Hugely multi-use, it can even be magnetically attached to a backpack or sled to identify a rescue team.

Carroll Technologies is also able to supply the LTC Methane Strobe. This device is used to remind staff to check the methane levels at the rock face every 20 minutes. The bright white LED laser light of the methane strobe remains disabled for 19 minutes, before flickering off and on again every two seconds for one minute, acting as a signal to test methane levels.

Powered by three AA batteries, this device keeps workers constantly aware of their environment and saves on the costs of setting up a fixed multi-gas detector.

Maintaining a proper ventilation system is vital for worker safety, but it’s still important to have emergency breathing apparatus at the ready for crisis situations. There are various devices available to ensure the safety of miners in irrespirable atmospheres, each with their own unique practicalities, meaning mine operators can always be safe in the knowledge that their workers have the most comprehensive protections available.

Plenty of these devices are available through Carroll Technologies Group, a leading supplier of mining apparatus and equipment. Trusted by over 800 facilities across North America, Carroll Technologies Group’s 24/7 MinerCare support team is always on hand to provide support and guidance to those in need. This includes coverage for a full range of self-contained self-rescuers (SCSRs), one of the most important devices a miner carries with them day to day.

“MSHA, the regulating body for the mining community, mandates that anyone who is underground has to have an SCSR,” said Carroll Technologies Group’s Josh Johnson.

Why is an SCSR an important piece of mining breathing equipment?

Accidents such as a fire or an explosion can compromise air breathability and leave workers without rescue for some time. They may even be required to make their own way to safety. This makes an SCSR a vital part of the miner’s arsenal.

These easily portable devices provide personal respiratory protection to each individual miner, and should be carried at all times as a safety precaution. The typical SCSR blocks air flow from the nose and the miner instead breathes through the mouthpiece of the device, which oxidises air pollutants and converts them into a breathable format.

This can sometimes feel uncomfortable as the air provided by the SCSR can become very hot and dry, but it’s important no miner sneaks a breath of cool air from around the device – a carbon monoxide concentration as low as 0.5% can cause collapse, unconsciousness, and death in just a few minutes.

Among the market-leading SCSRs supplied by Carroll Technologies Group is the W65 Self-Rescuer Respirator from Mine Safety Appliances (MSA).

This particular device is intended to protect specifically against carbon monoxide poisoning, and weighs only 2.2lbs. Protected inside a rugged stainless steel case, the W65 as a positive hermetic seal and has a total life of 15 years, with an in-service life of ten years. It’s important to note that the W65 is a one-use only device, and should not be used in atmospheres containing less than 19.5% oxygen or which have become polluted by toxic gases and vapours other than carbon monoxide.

Carroll Technologies Group also supplies two SCSRs from Ocenco, the M-20 and the EBA 6.5.

The M-20 is a belt-borne device which comes in particularly useful in tunnels and other confined spaces. At just over six inches square and three inches thick, this is the world’s smallest SCSR, using compressed oxygen to provide respiratory protection for up to 32 minutes. The user can quickly check the oxygen supply through the clear case.

The underground mine self rescuer provides short-term and long-term protection

The EBA 6.5 is a little different to the other two devices. These devices will be stored in bulk in a refuge centre of a mine, which workers can make their way to in the event of a crisis with the initial help of a W65 or M-20. They can then transfer to the larger, closed-circuit apparatus of the EBA 6.5. This device uses compressed oxygen rather than an oxidisation process, making it more comfortable to wear and with a longer window of active use.

“If there was a situation where a mine rescue was going on, the EBA 6.5 would allow up to 90 minutes of operation time straight,” said Johnson. “The device has oxygen in a resting type of situation, so if someone were actually stuck in a mine, if there was an explosion and they couldn’t get out, they could regulate that oxygen on and off as they needed it. They could make it work for somewhere up to 8 hours if they needed to.”

The EBA 6.5 can also be refurbished and upgraded where other devices cannot, with a clear case which allows the user to monitor their oxygen supply.

The US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reported 27 mining industry deaths across the country in 2018.

This was the second lowest annual figure ever recorded, but there is still more mining operators can do by employing a comprehensive range of mining safety appliances and systems.

The leading cause of fatalities in 2018 was powered haulage, which accounted for 48% of the annual total. As a result, the MSHA has launched a campaign to educate miners and mine operators on the hazards associated with this equipment.

Mine safety systems such as proximity alert apparatuses are vital to avoid haulage accidents

Alongside investing in sophisticated personnel awareness it’s important operators kit out their mining sites with proximity alert systems.

Proximity alert devices can prevent haulage-related injuries and fatalities by minimizing the risk of collision.

Typically an alarm is triggered when two tagged elements pass too close by each other – eg, a person and a moving vehicle – warning workers so that they may remedy the situation as appropriate.

Carroll Technologies Group supplies PBE’s PAS-C Proximity Alert System, which utilizes electromagnetic sensors and GPS tracking to detect vehicles, obstacles, and personnel.

This allows collisions to be predicted and avoided, and help is always on hand from Carroll’s 24/7 MinerCare support center. Just a phone call away, MinerCare are committed to providing Carroll Technologies customers with the expert product support they need to ensure their facility runs safely and smoothly.

Mining safety appliances are particularly important when it comes to a breathable air supply

Worker safety can also be put at risk as a result of a compromised oxygen supply. The atmosphere in a mine must be regularly monitored for the presence of flammable methane gases and carbon monoxide.

Personnel can be alerted to any airborne contaminants via a multi-gas detector. These appliances can be fixed in high-risk areas to provide constant monitoring or portable to permit a miner to test the atmosphere manually, often before entering a confined space.

One such device available from Carroll Technologies Group is the MSA Altair 4X. This device is triggered by both methane and carbon monoxide, and lets workers know that the air around them is no longer safe to breathe prompting them to don their self-contained self-rescuers (SCSRs).

An SCSR is an easily portable device which a miner may carry on their person as a safety precaution – MSHA actually mandates that all workers in underground mines must have an SCSR with them at all times.

Carroll Technologies Group offers devices such as the Mine Safety Appliances (MSA) W65 Self-Rescuer Respirator and Ocenco M-20, both belt-worn devices which miners can quickly strap on in the event of an emergency to protect their lungs from dangerous gases such as carbon monoxide as they make their way to safety.

For more long-term search and rescue operations, Carroll customers can also access the Ocenco EBA 6.5. This is a larger, full-body piece of equipment providing a supply of oxygen for a much longer period of time. These can be stored in bulk in refuse centers throughout a mine. Workers who may be stuck underground for some time can then await rescue using the EBA 6.5 to keep themselves safe.