Arlington, VA — Tires on cell equipment could explode throughout equipment fires and after flames are extinguished, the Mine Safety and Health Administration is warning miners.
That data is included in a brand new security alert, spurred by a deadly incident involving a firefighter. The tire of a front-end loader exploded as a firefighting crew responded to an equipment fireplace. Another firefighter was injured.
MSHA gives finest practices for fires or when equipment odor, warmth or smoke are current:
- Stop the machine, decrease all attachments, set the parking brake and switch off the equipment.
- Actuate the machine-mounted fireplace suppression system if one is obtainable.
- Safely exit the machine and retreat to a protected location – ideally 1,000 toes away.
- Alert others within the neighborhood of the fireplace, together with administration. Contact applicable emergency personnel.
- Don’t try to extinguish a hearth with a hand-held extinguisher. Remain clear of the fireplace and await emergency responders to arrive.
MSHA recommends permitting not less than 24 hours for equipment to cool. Use a distant heat-sensing machine to gauge residual warmth, if wanted.
“Elevated tire pressure lingers and is difficult to assess,” the company says. “Danger may remain if a fire-damaged tire is inflated, including dismounting an inflated tire from its rim.”
