Safety Services Company
January 13th 2009
Every year, mining fatalities rise during the winter season. The risk of getting ill, injured or killed is doubled, if not tripled, with the combination of low humidity, low barometric pressures and seasonal drying of some areas in coal mines.
During winter, coal dust is suspended in the atmosphere what with the air being dryer than usual. This increases the hazard of explosion. Winter also brings about low barometric pressures, helping methane spread easily into active areas, thus heightening the risk of again, an explosion. As if these were not enough, winter makes walkways slippery, provides workers with limited visibility during harsh weather and freezes and thaws highwalls.
Here are safety guidelines coal miners and operators must follow to ensure better safety for miners in winter.
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