Published in March 2010 Australian Longwall Magazine
Last May, Lennon Training opened its $250,000 21m long, 2.4m high, 5m wide roadway complete with 7m deep cut-through in Emerald, Queensland. The shed aims to give mining cleanskins and experienced hands practical training in a realistic environment.
The shed is currently being used for training three to four times per week.
“Trainees, both experienced and inexperienced, have expressed amazement at the detail and realism of the shed,” Lennon Training manager John Lennon told Australian Longwall.
“New starters to the industry have thoroughly enjoyed the experience of being able to go in and see what they will see and experience underground. Experienced mine workers have greatly appreciated the ability to do training in a realistic environment.”
Lennon knows he has achieved realistic simulation at the shed. “We’ve had one experienced trainee state he was going to go to the toilet around the corner in the shed. He expressed disbelief when we said ‘no you can’t because you are in a shed’. Then he realised where he was…”
The shed now boasts new facilities with a Draeger CABA (Compressed Air Breathing Apparatus) Escape System and refill facility. The new equipment is being used to facilitate an escape system in a smokey environment and help miners in the often troublesome self-contained self-rescuer changeover.
The CABA system was on Lennon’s wish-list for the shed since its installation has become popular with mine attendees.. It is now being used in generic underground inductions, site-specific inductions and rescue training.
Lennon said the most common problems he had noted during changeover were leaving head straps and belts when attempting to change over to the CABA’s face mask, as well as leaving safety glasses on when trying to put the CABA mask on.
“They get so tied up with getting the CABA suit on that they forget about little things like where their head straps are going to go,” Lennon said.
Lennon Training has also added to its equipment arsenal some more geological tell tales, clock-its, and a gel-exto with reader, all donated by BMA’s Crinum operation.
Not content with just offering underground simulation, Lennon Training has now started building a 1:50 scale open cut coal operation.
The open cut is being erected in a 12m by 6m shed complete with dragline operations, coal load out with truck and loader, a truck and shovel excavation, a wash plant, and a train loop with loadout.
“We are doing this so people coming into the industry can look down on the diorama and see the big picture as well as looking at the individual operations throughout the mine.
The equipment being used for the open cut are models already made by the various original equipment manufacturers that commonly put together 1:50 models.
The open cut model is expected to be finished by the end of March.
A new fire gallery will be completed at the Emerald training centre by mid-year. The company is building a 5m by 2.4m roadway, 7m long, with a conveyor belt and gas fire system. The system will allow a walkway fire or full roadway fire to be made.
The fire gallery will give trainees a chance to fight a real fire with fire extinguishers as well as hoses.
