Task Lighting in Hazardous Areas [Apr 2010]
With so many different types of light source available to us today, we tend to forget that for many years people who worked in coal mines had to use candles, using a naked flame with the potential for ignition and explosion if there was a leak of methane. At that time, one of the most important jobs in the mine was that of “fireman”. His purpose in life was not to put out fires, as we might think today, but to actually ignite small fires so that any methane which collected in the roof of the mine was burnt off before it had a chance to ignite. He passed through the mine workings with a lighted taper on the end of a long pole, deliberately inserting the flame into any pockets in the roof where the methane (at about half the density of air) would collect. Rumour has it that he was either the best paid man in the mine or, using a modern phrase, a “prisoner on day release”.
Other articles you will find in the same issue include:
Filtrating Respiratory Protection Devices - tools against hazardous particles
Safety Is In Your Hands
Slip Resistance of Footwear - Worn outdoor footwear and work footwear: a comparison
Sound Practice - Noise Measurements in Health and Safety
Take the High Ground - Falls from height change lives
Workwear - Putting the Workers into Workwear
As well as information about the following new Regulations
