 Pushing coal on a surge pile has been called the most dangerous job at a prep plant. Nineteen miners have lost their lives in surge pile accidents since 1980s, and there have been many others close coal. In an accident, a bulldozer can suddenly fall into a hidden cabin where the coal has bridged over an underground feeble. As coal covers up the machine, the pressure breaks in the window and coal fills the can. This video will show two ways to protect equipment operators from this danger. One way is to provide cab windows strong enough to withstand this burial pressure. Another approach is to use remotely controlled equipment. EMSHA recently conducted testing which demonstrated that high strength glass is available that will withstand the burial pressure in a surge pile accident. This was shown through both laboratory testing and a full-scale field burial test. The high strength glass used in this demonstration is manufactured by PPG Industries and was originally developed for use in cockpit windows of the F-111 fighter jet. It brought a caterpillar D9 dozer in with specially equipped with some high strength windows on the cab. We basically made a ramp up on the back side of the stock pile which we're probably looking at now. It drove the dozer up on it as steep as an angle as we could then started pushing coal off the top of the stock pile onto the dozer with the D11. We covered it 80 ton increments about what the D11 pushed and covered it up about six inches or so with each push until the dozer was covered. The high strength glass used in this demonstration comes from a special manufacturing process producing a glass with a bending strength several times higher than ordinary. It was important to verify that this glass could withstand burial pressures of 20 psi with a safety factor of 2. The pressure of 20 psi is equivalent to being buried under 35 feet of coal. This figure was determined after a review of surge pile accidents. With this level of protection it appears that all of the accident victims who have died because coal broke into the cab would have had the opportunity to have been rescued. The window strength was first verified in the laboratory test on the rear window of a D9R dozer. The laminated test window consisted of two six millimeter thick layers of the high strength glass. The glass overlapped the edge of the window opening by one half inch, the minimum overlap recommended by the manufacturer. The glass did not break when subjected to a pressure of 40 psi, two times the pressure of 35 feet of coal. The purpose of strengthening the cab windows is to provide a safe refuge for the operator in the event of an accident. But this is just one element in an overall surge pile safety program. The main focus in surge pile operations must be to minimize the development of hidden cavities and to ensure that equipment operators will not be exposed to the dangers should a cavity develop. Each mine should formulate contingency plans for how a piece of equipment would be dug out in the event it did become buried in the pile. It is crucial that the coal be removed starting off to the side of the cabin so that the pressure of the rescue equipment doesn't break the cab window. If it didn't have that glass, I believe it would just have the glass that were running in our dozer, it would have busted them out and filled the whole machine up with coal. The first blade I think I'd push 20. I'd say there was at least 25 to 30 feet of coal over top of the dozer, the whole dozer, because he was up in the air pretty high. And the glass held up. If we had this 20 years ago, I'd say we'd save a lot of lives. I'm for it myself. I'm not against it or nothing like that, but it costs money. But if you could save one life, it would cost, you can never put no money in value on that. Oh, yes, I'd buy two sets of glass, one for each of the two dozers that's used on the pile. I hope I can talk my boss into buying some of them. It may save my life down the road, years down the road. It may save my brothers or it may save somebody else's. Another possible approach to protecting equipment operators from surge pile hazards is to use remotely controlled equipment. The main benefit is that the equipment operator would be removed from the potential danger by being located off the pile. Remote controlled equipment is being used in other industries and is a valid alternative. Other best practices for surge pile operations include provide at least two self-rescuers and a source of emergency lighting in surge pile equipment. Install gates on feeders or otherwise ensure that coal cannot feed when not intended. Provide TV cameras and monitors so that the feeder operator can directly observe conditions and activities on top of the pile. Identify feeder locations with overhead markers. Install a system of colored lights to indicate active feeders. Provide mobile equipment operators with the capability to shut down the feeder and stacker belts from the equipment can. Avoid operating over the feeders. Provide for communications between everyone who works on the pile, affects the pile or supervises pile operations. Prohibit persons from walking on the pile. Keep equipment facing the feeder when near the draw hole. Provide adequate hazard training for all surge pile workers. Emphasize the dangers to new workers and contractors. For more information on surge pile safety, visit Imsh's webpage at www.msha.gov.