Published in the June 2014 International Coal News Magazine

Both industries operate in three dimensions and the implications of getting it wrong can result in very serious consequences.

You may also have noticed how “aviation terminology” has found its way into underground coal mining: navigation plans, flight plans, take off, clear prop!

Okay, forget the last one but believe it or not, in the 1950s, surplus aircraft propellers were used in certain industrial applications as ventilation fans.

At my old colliery in Yorkshire, three-blade Dowty Rotol wooden props from Hawker Hurricanes were used in cooling towers in a surface power generating plant.

So, just for a change, I would like to introduce the concept of the pre-flight inspection (or walk-around) into longwall operations.

Note that these do not replace the engineering checks by technicians on the longwall but are a supplementary check before operations commence.

Prior to each flight a pilot performs the pre-flight inspection. This is sometimes called the walk-around.

Essentially the pilot (or co-pilot) is making sure the aircraft is safe to fly from a visual inspection of the airframe and engines.

The pilot’s pre-flight walk-around is performed on all aircraft before every flight whether it is a small recreational aeroplane or an Airbus A380.

I have always recommended that longwall operators perform their own “pre-flight walk-around” prior to start-up of the longwall on their shift.

Support operators’ pre-flight inspection might include:

• Noting the support system pressure;

• Checking for “not set” or “not advanced” supports;

• Assessing general roof conditions;

• Checking for severe hydraulic leaks;

• Checking canopy attitudes; and

• Checking face alignment.

Shearer drivers’ pre-flight walk-around might include:

• Assessing the armoured face conveyor horizon;

• Checking the AFC creep and which way it is heading;

• Checking the shearer cable handler system;

• Checking cutting picks;

• Checking water pressure and sprays; and

• Checking face alignment.

Maingate operators’ pre-flight check might include:

• Checking the position and status of the boot end;

• Checking bays of structure;

• Checking the AFC creep and which way it is heading;

• Checking the general state of the rib sides;

• Checking the available monorail; and

• Checking LW face communications.

The simple pre-flight walk-around of an aeroplane can pick up the most basic faults or omissions that can affect the safety of a flight.

The simple pre-flight walk-around on the longwall can alert the crews to potential problems before they become serious problems.

If you have ever heard that well-known phrase: “It was the other shift!” – the pre-flight walk-around can identify those “other shift” issues immediately and corrective action can be taken, rather than stumbling across “what the other shift did” on the run.

As with all things, preparation is everything and a good pre-flight can save downtime, or at worst a big crash.

How much does downtime cost? How long is a piece of string?

To be pre-warned is to be pre-armed. Do a pre-flight walk-around.