Coal Age Magazine - For nearly 100 years, Coal Age has been the magazine that readers can trust for guidance and insight on this important industry.
Issue link: https://coal.epubxp.com/i/144796
alpha academy continued al determination quickly. With this meter, they can go underground take a sample and test it on site. They are lightweight and permissible and it tells the miners immediately where they need more rock dust. They have one to two of these Sensidyne devices at each of its operations. They have been using them for 18 months. The whole kit costs approximately $3,000. As far as accuracy, the readings are within 2% of a low temperature ash test. Alpha's labs, MSHA's labs, and independent (outside) labs have verified the accuracy of the Sensidyne device. The company anticipates it will take 2,500 non-regulatory samples per quarter. A Milestone along the Safety Improvement Continuum A conveyor belt entry gives new miners a feel for what they would encounter underground. A line curtain runs along a Joy 14CM15 continuous miner. continuous miner operator, I understand how important it is for a miner to stay out of the red zone." Alpha currently has 37 continuous miners equipped with proximity detection. They expect to get 30 more equipped by the end of the year. In another area of the simulated mine, they have a feeder and what appears to be a belt drive at first glance. A sound system creates the sound effect of belt splices moving over rollers. It's actually a live control burn area. Two large cylinders that look like mufflers are assembled as a head drive. This simula- 34 www.coalage.com tor burns liquid propane to get the temperature as high as it would be in a real situation. Rescue teams can practice firefighting under full apparatus. A smoke machine adds to the effect. There is an overhead sprinkler just in case things get out of hand. Alpha also demonstrated the Sensidyne coal dust explosibility meter, which it hails as one of the best preventive tools available today. MSHA requires a minimum of 80% rock dust. To test those samples, typically they would bag up a sample and send it to a lab to test it, which takes time. Underground, miners need to make a visu- The Running Right Leadership Academy represents a significant investment for Alpha and it will cost a lot of money to operate it. "We have a lot of support for it, especially from the board of directors and the senior management," Crutchfield said. "It's a demonstration of our commitment. This facility will bring together talented people to share thoughts regarding best practices." Crutchfield explained that Alpha was considering a similar training facility prior to the Massey Energy merger. "We had been kicking the idea around," Crutchfield said. "I give the U.S. Attorney's Office credit because they were very supportive. There was great symmetry in the spirit and the purpose of this and our philosophy of Running Right." A lot of companies in the same situation would have made the investment, checked the box, and said they have done what they were asked to do, Vining explained. "Alpha took the measures to make this facility extraordinary," Vining said. "This facility integrates a lot of safety and training skills from around the world and gathers into one location to give people hands-on experience and the capability of seeing what they will see before they ever set foot underground." When asked about the cultural transition the company has made since it merged the Massey Energy operations, Crutchfield explained that the company has made a lot of progress. "But to say it's complete, would be an overstatement," Crutchfield said. "This dedication of this facility is a tangible sign in a journey." Everyone would agree that this is a positive step in the right direction. July 2013