Mining safety tips for incident prevention

Mining is one of the most hazardous industries in the world. From explosions to wall collapses, this work environment has no shortage of safety risks. That’s why it’s important to properly prepare your worksite to control these hazards before workers come onsite. Follow these mining safety tips to create and maintain a safer work environment for everyone.

Training and communication

How you treat your workers will play a major role in overall site safety. Set them up for success by properly training them on all site-specific safety requirements. Additionally, prioritize good communication so everyone feels comfortable reporting issues. Here are some other tips you should consider:

• Check that all two-way radios are properly docked at the end of each shift.
• Train all miners on hazard identification and control measures.
• Create a detailed emergency response plan and provide it to each team.
• Put up signs for all evacuation points so workers can find them easily.
• Have several communication methods in place (radios, light/audio signals, etc.).
• Perform safety drills often to ensure that miners know what to do in an emergency.
• Implement a hazard reporting system so your workers can let you know what they see.

Worksite safety

Maintaining a safe worksite requires constant implementation and improvement of safety control measures. Oftentimes, you have to reconfigure your site setup a few times to get everything where it makes the most sense. Check out these safety tips for creating a safe mining worksite.

• Set up a designated equipment storage area to eliminate trip and fall hazards.
• Provide equipment to aid with heavy lifts (dollies, carts, etc.).
• Conduct pre-shift inspections of all the equipment and work areas you plan on using.
• Create a designated area for broken or unsafe equipment that shouldn’t be used.
• Write a detailed reclamation plan for when the mining project is finished.
• Keep inventory of all communal PPE supplies to ensure workers have what they need.
• Block off permit-required areas with tape, ropes, etc.
• Require machinery operators to always have a spotter when driving in crowded areas.
• Monitor and enforce traffic rules to prevent pedestrian safety incidents.

Mine safety tips

 These are some of the things you can do to make mines or tunnels safer:

• Continuously monitor air quality for harmful gases like carbon monoxide and methane.
• Install a ventilation raise or shaft to prevent the buildup of hazardous dust and gases.
• Prevent collapses by implementing ground support systems like mesh and roof bolts.
• Require all miners to go through a respirator fit check to ensure maximum protection.
• Measure the wall slope throughout the shift so it stays within regulatory guidelines.
• Ensure that all conveyor belts and have machine guards and emergency stops in place.
• Install water diversion routes to prevent flooding.

As always, preventative measures are the key to a safe work environment. Implementing these mining safety tips at your site will reduce the likelihood of catastrophic safety incidents and all that comes with them.