The personal safety contact is superior to other types of training because the instruction is directed at one man and the leader has maximum control over the situation. The instruction can be personalized and tailored to fit the individual. The worker's attitude toward instruction will be more favorable since he is singled out individually. Other advantages of the personal safety contact are:

More opportunity for questions and discussion.

Easier to check worker's understanding of subject being
discussed.

The personal safety contact is a major tool in accident prevention. Daily safety contacts show and explain to each employee the safety application that pertains to his job,

Even though a personal safety contact should be limited to one individual, it is possible to maintain, to a large degree, the one-manat-a-time theme with as many as three persons under certain circumstances. When a natural group of two or three men work at a specific job together, a single contact of such a group will maintain the personal element. The leader is still in a good position to control the training situation and make a close and personal contact. Any group larger than three makes the training less personal and reduces direct control over the training situation.

TEN COMMANDMENTS OF SAFETY

FOR SAFETY COMMITTEEMEN

Your job in the union places you in a unique position of trust. For not only do the mine workers rely on you, as the direct representative of their union, to apply its policies wisely and fairly; also, entrusted to you is the obligation to safeguard the well being of your fellow workers. No responsibility transcends this in importance. In this respect your job is akin to the "stewardship" of Biblical days: As a safety representative of your union, you are indeed your brother's keeper.

On-the-job accidents represent a serious threat to the physical wellbeing of your associates. Their prevention calls for your constant vigilance. Be guided by these precepts:

1. You are a safety representative for your union and thus, in a sense, have two families. Care for your people at work as you would care for your people at home. Be sure each of your associates understands and accepts his personal responsibility for safety.

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2. Know the rules of safety that apply to all work duties. Never let it be said that one of your men was injured because you were not aware of the precautions required on his job.

3. Anticipate the risks that may arise from changes in equipment or methods. Make use of the expert safety advice that is available to help you guard against such new hazards.

4. Encourage your men to discuss with you the hazards of their work. No job should proceed where a question of safety remains unanswered. When you are receptive to the ideas of your fellow workers, you tap a source of first-hand knowledge that will help you prevent needless loss and suffering.

5. Instruct your men to work safely, as you would guide and counsel your family at home--with persistence and patience.

6. See to it that your fellow workers make use of the safeguards provided them. Do not fail the company and your union who have sanctioned safety rules--or your fellow workers, who need them.

7. Set a good example. Demonstrate safety in your own work habits and personal conduct. Do not appear as a hypocrite in the eyes of your fellow men.

9. Cooperate fully with those in the organization who are actively concerned with employee safety. Their dedicated purpose is to keep workers fully able and on the job and to cut down the heavy personal toll of accidents:

10. Remember: Not only does accident prevention reduce human suffering and loss; from the practical viewpoint, it is no more than good business. Safety, therefore, is one of your prime obligations--to your union, your fellow officers, and your fellow man.

SAFETY CREED

WE BELIEVE...

...that every man bears the unalterable responsibility for keeping out of harm's way. This he owes to himself, his family, his fellows, and his job.

...that no man lives or works entirely alone. He is involved with all men, touched by their accomplishments, and marked by their

failures. If he fails the man beside him, he fails himself and will share the burden of that loss. The true horror of an accident is the realization that a man has failed himself--and more--that his fellows have failed him.

...that accidents are conceived in improper attitudes and born in moments of action without thought. They will cease to be only when the proper attitude is strong enough to precede the act--when the right attitude creates the awareness that controls the act.

...that the prevention of accidents is an objective which crosses all levels of rank, organization, and procedure.

...that freedom from harm is not a privilege but a goal to be achieved and perpetuated day by day.

...that the elimination of injury and pain through accidents is a moral obligation upon which the final measure of our performance directly depends.

--American Society of Safety Engineers

Roof control is a most important phase of underground mining. When the roof strata is weak, supporting the roof often is the largest single mining cost. Mines or parts of mines have been abandoned because of poor roof conditions which have imposed such a large cost on the overall mining operations. In addition, as mining personnel are well aware, unstable roof conditions present a working hazard that requires special protective measures to provide safety for the workmen.

Support of the roof is almost always required in coal mining for

two reasons:

1. Protecting men and facilities from falls, crushes, bumps, and other roof, face, and rib failures.

2. Keeping working places open for the desired length of time required for coal extraction, ranging from a few hours to as long as 50 years or more.

The Problem

Falls of roof and coal are a natural threat to the safety of all individuals in a coal mine, and with the introduction of mechanization, this threat has now developed into the No. 1 safety problem for the industry. Annually, more fatal injuries result from falls of roof, face, and ribs than from the combined total of all other hazards.

Considering the roof-fall problem in the coal mining industry on a national basis, the following tabulation proves conclusively the necessity for a solution:

Table 5 shows the record for a 10-year period of roof-fall accidents that caused fatal injuries to more than one person in single accidents for the nation.

Investigations following the roof-fall accidents in the United States for 1968 revealed that the 98 fatal injuries caused by falls of rock and coal were the result of failure on the part of someone to perform correctly one or more ordinary functions of mining. Table 6 lists the primary causes of the roof-fall accidents in addition to the method of coal extraction.