Mineworkers that wear full safety clothing can address several dangers. All mines need to stipulate the mining safety and protective clothing required and the kind of activity to be carried out.
Purpose of the protective gear
Improved visibility: A gear with high visibility is critical in a mine particularly if dealing with high traffic. Retro reflective strips and bright colors always make the workers at the mining site visible.
Abrasion Resistance: Thick and tough leather offers high abrasion resistance in case of a crash though fabrics like cordura are also able to provide significant protection. Fabrics are waterproof, easy to maintain, cheap and quite comfortable during hot weather. Thick leather is uncomfortable during hot weather and could result in the loss of control and heat stress. There are fabric gears designed into a mesh-like pattern which provides cooling plus a more stable surface to attach the padding.
Padding: Quality pants and jackets offer significant extra padding within the joint regions that are more vulnerable. This takes the form of dual-density foam or simple foam padding. The integrated pieces are available inside some jackets.
Weather Protection: Protection against weather elements is very important in mines. At times, extreme weather makes the working conditions rather dangerous or unbearable.
What is the required protective gear for greater safety during mining?
Approaching safety experts is the best answer. Every safety expert is exposed to a number of risks in the mines and is a witness of accidents, nearing accidents, hazards and falls in all the weather conditions. Some of their recommendations on mine worker safety include:
- Protective gear needs to conform to the anatomy but not the surrounding slide
- The hands, head, knees, hips, shoulders and elbows are all vulnerable areas
- A protective gear should be purchased not as some fashion statement but for protective purposes
Examples of specific protective gear items
- Full-face helmet: This offers the most protection. It is imperative that hardhats be worn.
- Gloves: Gloves need to be designed specifically for a given mining activity. It is commonly made using cordura, Kevlar, leather or other given combinations. There are some with carbon fiber knuckle protection and other rigid padding forms. There are gloves that offer wrist protection.
Jackets: Most jackets are made from ballistic nylon, leather, Kevlar, cordura and other related synthetics. Many jackets feature a special padding on the spine, elbows or shoulders.
Pants: They include special protection for hips and knees. Cotton denim jeans that have Kevlar are preferred by some people.
Boots: It’s specifically designed for the undertaken mining activity and includes plastic caps and reinforcement on the ankles or the toe area.
Helmet Visor or Goggles: Something of utmost importance is eye protection. Metal pieces or pebbles that are kicked up towards your eye have sufficient momentum to render significant damage.
Ear plugs: These devices offer protection against any hearing damage and reduce fatigue.
Vests: Made using retro reflective materials with high-visibility color. It is possible to wear them over jackets so as to increase the possibility of remaining visible. This will more critical in adverse weather conditions.
This has been a post by Danny, a blogger from Australia. He is writing about business and human resources on behalf of Australia Mining, a company that provides information to people looking to get a job in mining.