# Presentation: 476120

## STAY OUT-STAY ALIVE

**Mines are Not Playgrounds!**

## Mines are Everywhere

**There are about ****14,000**** active mines in the U.S.**
**There are as many as ****500,000 ****abandoned mines in the U.S.**** **

## MINING: A Vital Part of Our Economy Since the 1800s

## The Early Years

## Slide 5

## Even Children Worked in the Mines

**Notes:**
These working children were called breaker boys.

## Mining Still Important Today 

## Advances in Technology

**Advances in ****Technology**

## MONSTER TRUCKS!

**MONSTER TRUCKS!**

## MINERALS GO A LONG WAY IN A LIFETIME

## Slide 11

## ACCIDENTS CAN HAPPEN ...

## MINING CAN BE HAZARDOUS

## Slide 14

## SOMETIMES... HAPPY ENDINGS!

## MINERS: OUR MOST PRECIOUS RESOURCE

**MINERS: ****OUR MOST PRECIOUS RESOURCE**

## Each year, dozens 
of people are 
injured or killed in
accidents that 
occur at active and
abandoned mines.

**of people are **
**injured or killed in**
**accidents that **
**occur at active and**
**abandoned mines.**

**Notes:**
FIRST, YOU NEED TO KNOW THAT MINES ARE NOT PLAYGROUNDS.  EACH YEAR DOZENS OF CHILDREN AND ADULTS ARE INJURED OR KILLED FROM ACCIDENTS THAT OCCUR AT ACTIVE AND INACTIVE UNDERGORUND EACH YEAR DOZENS ARE INJURED OR KILLED FROM ACCIDENTS AROUND UNDERGROUND MINES, SINKHOLES, PITS, AND QUARRIES.  
There are mines are located in every state —from small sand and gravel operations to complex underground coal, salt, limestone, or metal mines, to extensive surface mines that use some of the largest industrial equipment ever built.   
There are about 14,000 active and over 500,000 abandoned mines in the nation. 

## DEADLY NUMBERS

**  ****2006 – 29 deaths**
** ****2005 – 24 deaths**
** ****2004 - 35 deaths**
** ****2003 – 28 deaths**
** ****2002 – 32 deaths**
**In the last five years, ****148**** ****people have died in recreational activities on mine property.**

**Notes:**
(Use MSHA accident information)

Of the 17 in 1999, 10 were drowning accidents, 3 were from falls down a shaft, 1 from suffocation, 3 from ATVs driven onto mine property.  9 of these 17 were under 20 years old.
So far this year, 3 fatal accidents – 2 drowning (jeep crashed through ice on water-filled pit)
1 fall down 200 foot shaft (18 years old)
1 drowning at Funkhauser Quarry (18-year old Jeremy Schell)

## TYPES OF ACCIDENTS

**Falls into mine shafts, over highwalls**
**Overturned equipment**
**Drownings**
**Asphyxiation**
**Electrocution**

## THE HEADLINES

**“****Indiana teenager drowns in quarry”**
***	******	******	******	******	******	******	******Chicago Tribune***
**“****Accident on ATV kills Kentucky boy”**
***	******	******	******	******	******	******	******Associated Press*****	****	****	****	****	**
**Brothers die while diving in old mine”**
**	****	****	****	*****	******	******	******Los Angeles Times***

## Ohio Man Rescued from Gravel Pit

**Ohio Man Rescued from Gravel Pit**

## Stay Away fromAbandoned Mine Openings!

**HIDDEN  DANGERS**

**Notes:**
The surface around abandoned mine openings, caves, and open pits can collapse without warning. Overhanging ledges or rims of pits and caverns may fall with the slightest increase in pressure.  
LET’S SEE HOW WE CAN RECOGNIZE A MINE OPENING.

## ABANDONED MINE OPENING

**This mine shaft may be **_***hundreds***_** ****of feet deep****!**

**Notes:**
THIS IS A TYPICAL OPENING TO AN OLD MINE.  In the early stages of mining operations, test shafts are often sunk from 50 to 100 feet deep through loose material overlying bed rock. These shafts can be concealed by brush and grass. They are dangerous to anyone who might step into them. 
Entering abandoned mines or tunnels is more dangerous than standing in the middle of a rush-hour freeway.  Old shafts can be deceptively deep.  Decomposed rock, at the top of the shaft, and adjacent tunnels can cave-in suddenly. 

## SHAFT MINE OPENING

**VERTICAL DROP**
**CAN BE VERY DEEP**

**Stay Away!**

**Notes:**
A SHAFT MINE MAY BE BOARDED UP OR LEFT OPEN.  

## Huuuuuge Opening!

## FENCES DON’T ALWAYS KEEP PEOPLE OUT...

**FENCES DON’T ALWAYS KEEP PEOPLE OUT...**

**Notes:**
THIS ABANDONED MINE OPENING IS FENCED IN, SO THIS IS WHAT YOU WOULD SEE FROM A DISTANCE.

## BUT LOOK WHAT AWAITSTHE TRESPASSER!

**Deep**
**And**
**Dangerous!**

**BUT LOOK WHAT AWAITS****THE TRESPASSER!**

**Notes:**
THIS PICTURE IS THE MINE OPENING BEHIND THE FENCE.  YOU WONDER HOW OUR PHOTOGRAPHER, WHO HAPPENED TO BE DIVISION CHIEF PAUL HUMMEL FROM THE ANTHRACITE AREA, TOOK THIS PICTURE.  THE FENCE YOU SAW IN THE LAST PHOTO WASN’T LOCKED.  HE WALKED RIGHT IN.  NOTE THE ROTTEN TIMBER. (next slide)

## THIS MINE IS SEALED, BUT JUST BARELY!

## SIGNS: There for a reason

## Slide 30

## Empty Buildings are Dangerous

**They can collapse**
**Broken glass is everywhere**
**Explosives can be detonated**
**There are electrical hazards**

## Slide 32

## SLOPE MINE OPENING

**Stay Away!**

**Notes:**
A SLOPE MINE OPENING GRADUALLY DESCENDS DOWNWARD, SOMETIMES TO 600 FEET UNDERGROUND.  IT’S DIFFERENT FROM A SHAFT OPENING WHICH DROPS STRAIGHT DOWN.  THIS IS AN ABANDONED ANTHRACITE MINE.

## Slide 34

**Notes:**
THIS IS THAT SAME MINE OPENING.  SEE HOW THE ROCK IS CRUMBLING AT THE SIDES?

## Look  at  all  the  Graffiti

**Look  at  all  the  Graffiti**

**Notes:**
THIS WILL GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF HOW FAR DOWN PEOPLE HAVE GONE.  IT IS VERY DANGEROUS.  IN APRIL, THIS MINE WAS SEALED BY THE PROPERTY OWNER.  

## DRIFT MINE OPENING

**Stay Away!**

**Notes:**
THIS IS A HORIZONTAL MINE OPENING. YOU WILL USUALLY SEE A DRIFT MINE OPENING IN THE SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN.  IT MAY LOOK SAFER THAN THE OTHER TWO, BUT THERE are many unseen dangers that could be inside, such as:
Rotten Timbers,
Unsupported Roof and Walls,
Holes
Deadly Gases
Water
STAY OUT.

## Some mine openings are easily seen...

**Others may be hidden by**
**plants or rocks!**

**Notes:**
SOME MINE OPENINGS ARE EASILY SEEN.

## OPEN MINE SHAFT

**Notes:**
Abandoned mine shafts may be fairly easy to see if they are large. They may be covered by decayed and rotted boards that will give way under the slightest weight, or they may be a combination of all these.  This mine shaft is easy to see.

## HIDDEN MINE OPENING

**Where’s the mine?**

**Notes:**
THE ABANDONED MINE OPPENING IS HARD TO SPOT.
There are years of plant growth covering it.
It’s just as dangerous as the open ones.

## Slide 40

## Slide 41

## BE WISE!  STAY AWAY!

**Ground Around Mines may be Weak**
**Vibrations from Walking or Speaking may cause a Cave-in**

**Notes:**
The top of a mine shaft is especially dangerous. The rock at the surface is often decomposed and timbers may be decayed or missing. Do not walk anywhere near a shaft opening. The whole area is often ready and waiting to slide into the shaft which can be hundreds of feet deep.

RECENTLY, A 14 YEAR OLD BOY IN IOWA WAS INJURED WHEN HE FELL DOWN AN OLD MINE SHAFT WHILE HE WAS TRYING TO REACH AN IRON CART WHICH WAS AT THE BOTTOM.  HE FELL ABOUT 60 FEET AND BROKE BOTH OF HIS WRISTS.  HE COULD HAVE BEEN MORE SERIOUSLY INJURED.

## ROTTEN TIMBERS 

**Notes:**
Timbers are used to support the mine’s roof and walls. Wood used underground may dry-rot faster than surface timber because moisture and humid air are often found under the surface. Timbers in abandoned mines are usually decayed. This danger is not apparent because the timber looks very old.  

There is the constant danger of brushing against a timber and causing the entire area to collapse. 

## Slide 44

## BROKEN OR UNSTABLE LADDERS

- WONDER
- WHAT
- THIS
- LEADS TO?

**Notes:**
Entrance to, or exit from, underground- workings is often by ladders. Ladders are usually built of lightweight material that quickly rots. 
The ladders in most abandoned mines are unsafe because rungs are often missing or broken. Some will fail under minimal weight. It is impossible to climb down a ladder and examine each rung before placing weight upon it. 
There is no safe way for a trespasser to determine the condition of a ladder. 

## How Badly Do You Want to Find Out?

## Slide 47

## MISFIRED EXPLOSIVES

-    **EXPLOSIVES ****and ****BLASTING CAPS**
** ****Often Found Around Abandoned Mine Openings**

**Notes:**
EXPLOSIVES AND BLASTING CAPS ARE OFTEN FOUND AROUND ABANDONED MINE OPENINGS.  THEY CAN DETERIORATE WITH AGE AND BECOME VERY DANGEROUS. A SLIGHT JAR, EXCESSIVE HEAT, OR JUST HANDLING MAY SET THEM OFF AND CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.

(show dummy blasting caps)

## EXPLOSIVES & BLASTING CAPS

** ****Deteriorate with Age**
** ****Do Not Touch**** – ****They can go off!**
** ****Alert the Sheriff’s Department**

## FROM THIS ...

## .....  TO THIS!

## STANDING POOLS OF WATER

**Notes:**
Underground lakes, reservoirs, pools, and sumps are very common in abandoned mines. Sometimes the water surface, when covered with fine dust, may look like solid ground. 
 Many tunnels have water standing in deep pools or holes concealed in the floor.  Pools of water are common at the bottom of shafts. 
It is impossible to estimate the depth of the water. A false step can lead to drowning. 

## UNDERGROUND TUNNELS

***ROTTEN ROOF  SUPPORT BEAMS***
***DANGEROUS GASES***
***POISONOUS SNAKES***
***FLOODED SECTIONS***

**Notes:**
Abandoned horizontal mine openings lead into underground tunnels that are prone to collapse. They may seem safe to explore, but can contain many hazards -- rotten roof support beams, 
deadly gases, 
poisonous snakes, 
vertical shafts deep within the tunnels, and
flooded sections.

## Slide 54

## Slide 55

## Slide 56

## Slide 57

## SURFACE DANGERS 

**Notes:**
WE’VE TALKED ABOUT UNDERGROUND MINES, BUT MANY OLD STRIP MINE PITS ARE LEFT WITH NO RECLAMATION WORK.  (AFTER A SURFACE MINE IS FINISHED MINING ALL THE COAL, THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO CLEAN IT UP AND PLANT TREES)  Persons have drowned in accumulated water, fallen to their death from the top of a pit, or been killed by falling rock when playing or exploring inside a pit. 
Abandoned surface mines, quarries, sand pits and other sites present public safety hazards at all times. Stay away from them! 

## UNSTABLE HIGHWALLS

**Notes:**
Excavated vertical cliffs—highwalls —in open pit mines and quarries can be unstable and prone to collapse.  

## Slide 60

## DANGEROUS BODIES OF WATER

**Stay Away!**

**Notes:**
THIS BODY OF WATER LOOKS INVITING, DOESN’T IT.   MANY PEOPLE SWIM AND PICNIC HERE.  MANY YEARS AGO THIS WAS DRY LAND AND COAL WAS MINED WHERE THE WATER IS NOW.  ONE DANGER IS THAT THERE COULD BE OLD SHARP AND RUSTY MINING EQUIPMENT ANYWHERE ALONG THE BOTTOM.  
THIS PARTICULAR MINE HAS ANOTHER MINE RUNNING UNDERNEATH IT.  LET’S LOOK AT ANOTHER DANGER.

## NO PLACE FOR SWIMMERS

**NO PLACE FOR SWIMMERS**

## No Lifeguards on Duty!

**No Lifeguards on Duty!**

## Deadly Pennsylvania Quarry 

**Deadly Pennsylvania Quarry**

**Since 1985 ... 8 drownings!**

## A MOTHER’S GRIEF

## Slide 66

## DIVING CAN BE DEADLY!

## SLUDGE DAM

**Water on Top is 3’ Deep**
**Quicksand-Like Sludge Underwater is  8-10’ Deep**

**Notes:**
SEE THE BIKE TRACKS ON THE DIRT MOUND GOING ACROSS. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PLACE TO PLAY  SLUDGE IS REAL FINE ANTHRACITE COAL THAT IS UNDER THE WATER.  ONCE SOMEONE WOULD FALL IN THE WATER, IT WOULD BE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO GET OUT WITHOUT HELP.

## SIGNS ARE FOR YOUR SAFETY

**Notes:**
SOMETIMES OPEN HOLES, UNFENCED TUNNELS AND CLOSED MINING OPERATIONS HAVE NO WARNING SIGNS OF ANY KIND.  SIGNS OR FENCES SHOULD BE PLACED AROUND THE OPEN AREAS TO WARN PEOPLE AGIANS TRESPASSING AND TO KEEP PEOPLE OUT OF ABANDONED MINE PROPERTIES.  THES AREAS ARE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.

## What Part of “No Trespassing” Don’t You Understand?

**Notes:**
SIGNS ARE FOR YOUR SAFETY.  OBEY THEM.

## What CanYou Doto Stay Safe???

**Notes:**
WHAT CAN YOU DO?

## If You’re Not Sure, STAY AWAY!

**Notes:**
Regardless of the type of mine, remember to stay away if you spot what appears to be an abandoned mine. It could be dangerous. And if you are in an area where coal has been mined, watch where you are going. You may stumble across an abandoned mine when you least expect it. So, be alert!

## MSHA’s TOLL-FREE HOTLINE
		Report Unsafe Access to  Active or Abandoned Mines

1-800-746-1554 

**	****	****Report Unsafe Access to  Active or Abandoned Mines**
**1-800-746-1554**

## MSHA RESOURCES	

- _[www.msha.gov](http://www.msha.gov/)_
**202-693-9400**

## Listen Carefully to MSHA Inspectors

## Inspectors are Trained to Enter Mine Sites – You’re Not!

## She May Have a Future in Mining!

## Remember...

**STAY OUT **
**AND **
**STAY ALIVE!**