Riding on Conveyor Belts: One of the Topics of a Technical Conference

OSTRAVA – The first and only permitted transportation of persons a conveyor belt along with excavated material in the Czech Republic reached an academic level and entered the literature on mining. Libor Grebeň, main engineer at the Paskov Mine, described it as a new trend at a conference co-organised by the Czech Mining Authority at the VSB-Technical University in Ostrava. This is his paper:

“Within the scope of addressing the tasks how to improve the quality of transportation of the staff to and from their workplace at the Paskov Mine, the pit management decided to introduce transportation of persons on a conveyor belt. First, the task of transporting persons on a conveyor belt without excavated material was solved and implemented in our mine in 2006. To allow more extensive use of conveyor belts for the transportation of persons, a task to address transportation of persons on a conveyor belt on excavated material emerged at the end of 2007. We knew that a similar method of transportation of passengers has been introduced in some mines in Germany, Poland and Russia. Hence we relied on experience with this type of passenger transportation in German pits. In particular, we acquainted ourselves with the safety measures and tried to put them in practice.

The transportation of persons on a conveyor belt along with excavated material required a number of negotiations with the Czech Mining Authority, in particular due to the derogation from the safety regulations set forth in the Decree of the Czech Mining Authority No. 22/1989 Coll. as amended. Specifically, there occurs a derogation from three sections of the Decree, namely the provision of Section 322 Paragraph 6 of the Safety Regulations – “During the transportation of persons, transportation of materials is forbidden and the conveyor belt must not be slippery“, the provision of Section § 312 Paragraph 1 of the Safety Regulations – “For the transportation of persons, the company is obliged to specify periods during which, on the same transport passage and on connected transport passages, any other transportation is forbidden“ and provisions of Section 291 Paragraph 5 of the Safety Regulations – “In the period defined for walking on passages that are at the same time transport passages, transport by machinery on the transport passages must be stopped.“ In connection with these three Sections, the Czech Mining Authority issued a measure containing 15 points to guarantee safe transportation of persons. At the same time, a solution was found how to transport material by railway and suspended locomotives through the crosscut along the conveyor belt without restricting the transportation of persons by this conveyor belt.

The basic safety measures included namely the construction of a station of departure and a discharge terminal with appropriate protective elements, including proper lighting of the entire route. The splices of the conveyor belt covering must be intact and they are continuously observed. The entire section is supervised with electronic sensors, monitoring the admissible level of the excavated material in front of the station of departure. At the end of the transportation route, there are well visible warning and information tables indicating the discharge point and a security barrier. In case of any discrepancy with the safety regulations, the belt blocks off automatically.

Miners who wish to use this means of transportation, must complete a training during which they are properly informed about the principles of safe transportation on a conveyor belt along with the transported excavated material and they take a field test during which they must safely get on and off the belt. It is a pilot project used by over 250 workers from five preparation faces and one coalface to a cross a distance of 605 metres on a BELT 1200 conveyor belt at the crosscut No. 2252 on the 5^th level of the Paskov Mine.

The technical equipment for transportation of persons on a conveyor belt along with the excavated material under type designation PDO – F02 was supplied by the FITE Company of Ostrava. It contributed to the development and construction of the entire transportation method. Its electrical and safety parts were supplied by the OHR Company from Opava. The assembly of the equipment was performed by regular staff of the Paskov Mine. All our procedures were discussed thoroughly and on an on-going basis with representatives of the District Mining Authority in Ostrava. After meeting all safety requirements, the operation was authorised by the Czech Mining Authority until December 31, 2013.

The facility was put into permanent operation in September 2008 and to date no on-the-job accident occurred during this way of crew transportation.“

(Radek Lukša)