The types of machinery used in coal mining which can cause excessive noise and produce hearing problems in the work place with employers such as the NCB
There are various different types of machinery used in the coal mining industry which produce excessive noise. The type of machinery used can often depend on the type of mine which is in operation – compare an open cast mine with a deep pit mine and compare working on the surface with working underground.
Some of the typical machinery used underground in coal mining which is known to produce damage to hearing to miners, include:
1. Face shearers
This machinery is known to produce noise levels sometimes as high as 120 DB and is used to cut along the face of the coal seam – allowing the coal to collapse into a space beneath whilst miners remain at a safe distance in areas supported by beams.
This technique of coal mining is sometimes known as long wall mining as the face shearer runs along the length of the coal face in an underground mine.
2. Heading cutters
Heading cutters are a type of boring machinery used to bore out tracks in mines for trains to operate along and for other facilities used by the miners underground.
If you have worked as a miner exposed to the noise of machinery such as heading cutters and face shearers – especially if no hearing protection was provided, it is quite likely you have suffered some form of hearing loss and will be entitled to claim compensation for industrial deafness.
You might also have been exposed to coal dust in the air leading to coal miners’ pneumoconiosis or black lung and excessive vibration causing conditions such as vibration white finger.
If you believe you might be suffering from a condition as a result of work as a coal miner click miners hearing loss claims to contact me free of charge online or to arrange for a free call back.
