Mike Salamon rode down Lazy Mine

LAZY - From the oldest to the newest. This could be the briefest description of the „visit“ by the topmost bosses of OKD and of its parent company NWR to Karviná Mine. On Thursday 24 July, Klaus-Dieter Beck and Mike Salamon took a ride down the Lazy Mine. They were mainly interested in using this opportunity to compare the technologies dating back to the late 20th century with those that came to be launched no sooner than during the early years of the 21st century.

First they traveled some forty minutes to a ČSA Works site located four kilometers away. „That's where we have the oldest technology in use, at no. 740 58 working face,“ informed Libor Stebel, Senior Mine Superintendent of Lazy, who accompanied the guests together with other Karviná Mine representatives, including Director Pavel Hadrava.

Far more interesting for Klaus-Dieter Beck and, above all, for Mike Salamon was their excursion trip to no. 139704-1 working face on the Lazy side. That is where truly great things happen – it was at this facility that the technology originating from the POP 2010 program was first installed. A total of 105 sections with an outreach of up to six meters, which is an absolute novelty even within the entire mining district.

„The largest sections commonly used anywhere in the world. It may only be at South Africa's mines that perhaps, they might have something bigger even than this,“ was the comment on this investment by OKD's boss Beck for NWR's boss Salamon. It is expected that the chief foreman, Lumír Mosler, with his gang will be able to extract between three and four thousand tons of coal a day at this working face.

At this newly equipped working face, Messrs. Salamon and Beck asked plenty of questions about almost everything. „What about lighting fixtures? Where will they be sited,“ was one of the questions posed by the boss of NWR. „In the U.S. they are fitted on each section,“ added the boss of OKD. They received an assurance that under our conditions, they will be fitted on every second or third section.

Of course, safety issues were also probed into, and even such „details“ were discussed like the new miners' T-shirts with reflection markings. Mike Salamon liked them well enough. „They are high quality, made of Egyptian cotton,“ Klaus-Dieter Beck commented. In this connection, not even witty banter was missing, when one of the miners observed that „paunchy Czech beer bellies“ are bound to be involved.

„I just wanted to see for myself what it was that we invested our money in,“ uttered Salamon on re-emerging at the surface. This had not been his fist visit to a mine owned by OKD, but in his own words, it was worth it and fulfilled its purpose. „I can tell you that it was gratifying to witness the enthusiasm and zest being expressed in relation to this work and to coal extraction,“ NWR's Chairman of the Board added.

(Radek Lukša)