PPE visor against gas pocket drilling
January 23rd, 2010
Mike Ryan, Lonmin; I am designing a safety visor against blowouts from small underground pressurised gas pockets.
Information I received from Bushveld Safety Forum members, are about intersecting large gas pockets in iron bearing ore bodies. These bodies are identifiable and extra precautions are taken by drilling pilot holes from different angles, the drillers adopting special standing or drilling positions, at the side of the machine, when drilling through these ground conditions.
In the Lonmin mine where I work, the ore body presented no major blow outs, not of the kind to result in a fatality as detailed in one presentation to the Bushveld Safety Forum.
Our pockets are large enough to blow the jumper out of the hole, resulting in fine particles being dispersed towards the machine operator and his assistant.
To minimise the severity of exposure to blowouts, I am using drill steel gaskets that remain close to the face during drilling, and visors attached at the sides of standard hard hats.
Gaskets and visors are expensive, and visors get dirty very quickly, frustrating machine operators. My tests are ongoing and the design of the visor is in its third stage of development.
PHOTO; Visor prototype to protect against minor gas blowouts.
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