U.S. Department of Labor
Mine Safety and Health Administration
Protecting Miners’ Safety and Health Since 1978
SAFETY ALERT
Continuous Mining Machine Safety
Inadvertent movement of remotely-controlled continuous mining machines has been observed in cases where solenoids, associated with hydraulic valve banks, were damaged. The solenoids were damaged by “side loading” due to contact with a trailing cable, when that cable was flexed.
Best Practices
- Install guarding to protect the valve banks, valve spools, solenoids, and solenoids cables from damage and prevent these items from contacting other machine components.
- Position the trailing cable to prevent it from damaging components that are essential to the machine’s proper operating functions.
- Ensure that continuous mining machine operators and maintenance personnel examine valve banks, valve spools, solenoids, solenoid cables, and the trailing cable and keep areas where these components are located free of obstructions.
- De-energize the continuous mining machine and remove it from service when worn or damaged components are found,
- Develop programs, policies and procedures and train all production and maintenance crews to examine these areas on remote controlled continuous mining machines.
- Install and maintain proximity detection systems on continuous mining machines.
- Red Zones are No Zones-Ensure miners stay out of pinch-point areas.
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