Electrical Safety in Mines

This article covers the general steps to prepare electrical safety in mines. The major topics covered in this blog highlight the following:

• Challenges in safety;
• Major hazards;
• Steps to mitigate hazards;
• Personal protective equipment;
• Electrical safety plan;
• Electrical standards;
• Arc flash study.

Let us jump in.

 

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Electrical Safety in the Mining Industry

The mining industry is a vital industry as it produces a variety of raw materials required to make our society function. However, when compared to other industrial sectors, mining is one of the most dangerous when it comes to working with electric power.

Why Electrical Safety in Mines is Challenging

The mining environment has always a point of contention for electrical safety due to the unique challenges while working within a mine. Examples that can exacerbate small electrical problems into major hazards for both personnel and equipment include:

• Materials being mined;
• Dust and gases generated from mining;
• Damp/wet conditions.

Due to these issues significantly increasing the potential hazards of even the smallest electrical problem, it is no surprise that the fatality rate due to an electrical nature in the mining industry is much higher than any other industry: estimated to be as much as 8-12 times that of other industries special care must be taken when designing both the internal mine structure and safety protocols.

How to Avoid Electrical Hazards in Mining Sites

In order to reduce the risks of electrical hazards in mining sites, there are many steps mining companies can take to reduce the risk of potential danger to their workers. These steps include:

• Having adequate personal protective equipment (PPE)
  • Crucial for scenarios involving the checking of equipment/conduit locations.
  • PPE should be checked every day at the start of the day for any compromises.
  • Equipment should be regularly tested to ensure it is safe to use.
  • Have a proper electrical safety plan.
  • Have emergency treatment equipment/facilities setup at strategic locations throughout the mining site in case an emergency happens and have clear indicators around the facility to the nearest one.
• Adequate planning
  • Ensure adequate planning of electrical systems with risk minimization in mind.
  • Take environmental conditions such as combustible gasses, into account when planning.
• Updated schematics
  • Ensure suite schematics are up to date.
  • Ensure schematics easily accessible for mining personnel.
• Use properly rated electrical components and labelling.
  • Ensure cables are properly insulated, marked, and buried appropriately.
  • Ensure proper grounding of components.
  • Ensure proper ventilation to avoid buildup of dangerous gases.
  • Ensure proper labeling of hazards, such as shock and arc flash, of equipment.
• Electrical safety training
  • Ensure workers and personnel are properly trained in dealing with electrical hazards.
  • Ensure workers are trained in properly handling PPE and check.
  • Ensure workers know and understand the electrical safety plan.
• When using handhelds, aim to try and stay below 50VAC and/or 120 VDC.

 

Electrical Safety Standards and Training Requirements for the Mining Industry

Due to the many hazards that may occur that mining sites, there have been specific safety regulations implemented into the mining sector. Current electrical standard in mining is governed by CSA M421 in Canada. This standard discusses and highlights the minimum requirements for both planning and operation of mining facilities both above and below the ground.

The implemented facility can be designed to be top notch and exceed any safety standard recommendations, but it will mean nothing if employees are unaware of the implemented safety measures and untrained in using them. Therefore, it is paramount to create an adequate electrical Safety Program for your facility which should break down key components. Furthermore, the Safety Program should be documented in a way that is easily followable and easy to find for employees.

Furthermore, it is also important to have an up-to-date arc flash study, to effectively model your entire facility for arc flash and shock hazard protection. Arc flash studies also provide labels for critical pieces of equipment and adequately provide the incident energy hazards which will inform operators/employees on what type of PPE to wear. Here at Leaf Electrical Safety, we specialize in arc flash studies which has a safety training bundled into our study to teach your workers and operators about electrical hazards related to arc flash.

Conclusion

I hope this article has helped to better explain electrical safety in mines.

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If you have any questions, you can always reach out to me at jon.travis@leafelectricalsafety.com.

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