Safety Tips For Miners

After the recent Chile mining tragedy, questions were raised on the safety standards of mines around the world. Chile’s was not the first of its kind, there have been stories of mining disasters and still continue to happen due to lack of clear safety precautions and guidelines. Having seen the numbers of lives lost while working in mines, the article seeks to provide a helping hand on how to stay safe while in mines.

Crush Injuries

It is vital that when working under huge boulders of rocks that you ensure you are at a safe distance from locations that may pose imminent dangers of collapse. However, the best safety precaution when working below rocks is to secure any loose rocks. This ensures that risks of having rocks falling on your from above are minimized. In addition, areas where you have dug needs to be filled with rocks previously removed. This ensures that stability is maintained all the time. Most mining tragedies are often as a result of instability underground caused by empty underground spaces

When working underground, you are advised to be alert all the time. Be sure that you are aware of each action that you take. Be extremely careful while underneath large boulders and rocks. Most miners, especially gold miners are often attempted to crawl through such spaces in a bid to get to a large piece of the shiny rock. In such instances, you are highly advised to make use of tools such as prybar to try and move or reach out to any piece of rock. Moreover, it will not hurt to get a helping hand to assist you move or get to where you cannot reach

Heat exhaustion

It is a known fact that mining is often carried out under extreme heat conditions. As a result, other than the fear of having rocks or boulders falling on you, there is the real chance that of suffering heat stroke. It is often advised that under hot sun, there is the need to have some liquid wit you which in turn ensures that you are well hydrated. Furthermore, you need to take periodic breaks from the hot sun to regain your lost energy.

The following are symptoms that you could be on the verge of suffering heat exhaustion. These will ensure that you take the necessary precautionary measures. These include tiredness, sense of weakness, nausea, extreme headaches, muscle weakness and dizziness. More precaution needs to be taken in areas where there are less shades and scarcity of water.

Dehydration

It is important to have a water container always with you to make certain that your body is fully hydrated all the time. Water is best of all the fluids. This is because sugary drinks tend to dehydrate you more. Alcohol needs not to be taken at all. This is because alcohol has the tendency to reduce your alert level.

Last but not least, make sure you have put on all the necessary safety clothing.