The Gate Dispatch

Mining fatalities in 2011 second lowest on record

Philippi-Hagenbuch, Inc. — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:29:12 +0000

Preliminary data from MSHA reveals that 37 miners died in work-related accidents at the nation’s mines in 2011. There were 21 coal mining and 16 metal/nonmetal mining fatalities last year, compared with 48 and 23, respectively, in 2010, making 2011 the year with the second-lowest number of mining deaths since statistics were first recorded in 1910.

Of the 37 fatalities reported, 12 occurred at surface coal mines, 11 at surface metal/nonmetal mines, nine at underground coal mines and five at underground metal/nonmetal mines. Nine workers died in accidents involving machinery – six in coal mines and three in metal/nonmetal mines – making it the leading cause of fatal mining accidents.

Kentucky had the most mining deaths – eight – in 2011, followed by West Virginia with six and Ohio with three. All but one of those deaths occurred in coal mines. Several of the larger coal-producing states, including Alabama, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Utah, experienced zero mine fatalities last year.

“Mining deaths are preventable,” said Joseph A. Main, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health. “The year that the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 passed, 273 miners died and, since that time, fatality numbers have steadily declined. In order to prevent mine deaths, operators must have in place effective safety and health management programs that are constantly evaluated, find-and-fix programs to identify and eliminate mine hazards, and training for all mining personnel.”

MSHA has undertaken a number of measures to prevent mining deaths: increased surveillance and strategic enforcement through impact inspections at mines with troubling compliance histories; enhanced pattern of violations actions; special initiatives such as “Rules to Live By,” which focuses attention on the most common causes of mining deaths; and outreach efforts such as “Safety Pro in a Box,” which provides guidance to the metal/nonmetal mining industry on best practices and compliance responsibilities.

“It takes the entire mining community to continue to reach new milestones in health and safety,” Main said. “While fewer miners are dying on the job, we can never alter our focus because, as we know, things can change in a moment. Miners need the reassurance that they will return home safe and healthy after each shift.”

To see data on mining fatalities by state in 2011 and as far back as 2001, visit www.msha.gov/stats/charts/Allstates.pdf.

Reprinted from Pit & Quarry online.

America’s Developing Infrastructure

tdmay — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:49:17 +0000

Plans for rebuilding the infrastructure of the U.S. are being widely discussed. The government has put emphasis on rebuilding and repairing bridges within the U.S. in an effort to stabilize the country’s productivity in the long run. This construction has also been promoted as a job creation effort. Starting work on different bridges would create jobs for a great number of unemployed construction workers.

U.S. government has discussed rebuilding bridges, specifically the Brent Spence
Bridge which spans the Ohio River. Engineers found cracks in the heavily-trafficked bridge that serves as one of the busiest trucking routes in North America. Officials have closed off this bridge, forcing traffic onto smaller bridges in the area, in an effort to start
repairing the Brent Spence Bridge. The safety of drivers who frequent the bridge is said to be in jeopardy if it is not repaired; who knows when something could collapse. While the safety of drivers is no doubt important, this project has created traffic jams and delays for the thousands of people that travel across the bridge every day. However, it is argued that this construction is inevitable.

What are your thoughts on the plans for the infrastructure of America?

Read some more about the topic of infrastructure and the bridge in Kentucky:
http://www.npr.org/2011/09/22/140717209/obama-stresses-need-for-infrastructure-improvements
http://www.kentucky.com/2011/09/18/1886857/crumbling-ohio-river-bridges-highlight.html

I Make America Campaign

tdmay — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:49:49 +0000

“We need to dramatically increase jobs for America’s equipment manufacturers so they are able to prosper and grow right here in the U.S. When they succeed, America wins.”
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) launched the I Make America campaign in September of 2010 in an effort to push for the creation of more jobs within the manufacturing industry. The campaign is tied in with the discussion of rebuilding the United States’ infrastructure as a means of increasing the amount of manufacturing jobs available.
I Make America wants to push congress to pass policies that will help the manufacturing industry grow in the United States. Manufacturing supports an estimated 18.6 million jobs in the U.S., which equals out to around one in six private sector jobs. The campaign encourages companies and individuals to reach out to their representatives and ask them for their support.
The manufacturing industry is extremely important for our country today because of the assistance it could lend to the economy as well as the job market if things progress in a positive way. The I Make America campaign and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers believe that manufacturing jobs are a vital component in helping our country move forward.
Specific information from this post as well as additional information about the campaign can be found at:
http://www.imakeamerica.com/home

Africans Exploring Mining Industry in Australia

tdmay — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:58:42 +0000

Mining is an industry that flourishes in all different parts of the world. Some countries are more ahead in the industry than others, and Australia is one that has recognized this. AusAID is funding two study tours for government officials from 18 different countries all across Africa to visit Australia and learn more about its mining experience. AusAID works with various developing countries to help them and deliver aid in whichever way it is most needed. AusAID recognizes that teaching these African officials about the mining industry can help them acquire the resources they need to get their mining industry going back home.
This type of aid not only helps the country it is assisting, but it also helps strengthen the mining industry itself. Philippi-Hagenbuch is simply one of many companies that rely on the mining business to help grow and further develop itself. AusAID’s mining studies are on country’s attempt to help build up this industry.

Read this article to learn a little more about the tours:
http://ausaid.gov.au/hottopics/topic.cfm?ID=5577_4449_1156_463_3 278&From=HT

PHIL Inventor Develops Patent for Apparatus for Tracking and Recording Vital Signs and Task-related Information of a Vehicle

Philippi-Hagenbuch, Inc. — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 19:19:19 +0000

LeRoy G. Hagenbuch, Peoria, Ill., has developed a patent (8,014,917) for an “apparatus for tracking and recording vital signs and task-related information of a vehicle to identify operating patterns.” The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “An apparatus is provided for diagnosing the state of health of a vehicle and for providing the operator of the vehicle with a substantially real-time indication of the efficiency of the vehicle in performing an assigned task with respect to a predetermined goal. A processor on-board the vehicle monitors sensors that provide information regarding the state of health of the vehicle and the amount of work the vehicle has done. In response to anomalies in the data from the sensors, the processor records information that describes events leading up to the occurrence of the anomaly for later analysis that can be used to diagnose the cause of the anomaly. The sensors are also used to prompt the operator of the vehicle to operate the vehicle at optimum efficiency.” The patent application was filed on March 19, 2010 (12/727,537). The full-text of the patent can be found here.

Coal Country Open 2011

Philippi-Hagenbuch, Inc. — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 20:11:09 +0000

The 29th Annual Coal Country Open Golf Tournament just concluded with the closing reception at Gillette, Wyoming’s CAMPLEX.

Over the past three days, the PHIL Tent, located on the 4th Tee at Bell Knob Golf Course provided hydration and respite from the 95F+ degree temperatures – nearly ideal for the 300 or so golfers. Fun, sun, good game and big stories abound at the Coal Country Open and Philippi-Hagenbuch, Inc. is happy to be a supporter of this great event to give back to the hard working coal miners of Campbell County.

This year, both Jerry Percifield of Alpha Coal West and Lincoln Klemola of LeTourneau won the drawing for a gift card to The Prime Rib – Congratulations, gentlemen!

Drawing Winners at Coal Country Open 2011

PHIL is focused: Patent Pending Body Lifting System

Philippi-Hagenbuch, Inc. — Tue, 03 May 2011 19:13:04 +0000

Safety is involved in every product sold, engineered and manufactured by PHIL, so when we see an opportunity to improve upon an industry best-practice, we take advantage of the opportunity and do our best to innovate – not for the sake of innovation, but as a mission to improve upon a practice that can be done safer, easier, at less cost and effort to the end user.

This past winter, as we were custom designing a truck body for a Cat 797B chassis for a client in Canada, the thought struck us “Why are end users having a weld temporary lifting eyes on the inside of the bodies when they need to put them on or take them off of chassis?” From a safety standpoint, it’s common knowledge that lifting holes in body sides can become fatigued over time, depending on whether or not a shovel has hit them accidentally or other trauma have occurred.

In working on this problem in our Engineering Department, we came up with a solution that allows an end user to place removable “Lifting Eyes” through the floor structure of the body, attach a shackle and lift the body from the interior, thus reducing overhead height clearance required when putting on or removing a box from the truck. The structure the Lifting Eye is keyed into is such that similar fatigue as experienced from the side lifting holes would not be present after even a considerable amount of time, thereby allowing this mechanism to be a safe alternative for lifting the body throughout its life.

The decision has been made within Philippi-Hagenbuch, Inc. that all future bodies that go on trucks of 100 Ton capacity and greater will receive the new Body Lifting System as a standard, no charge option.

For more information on the new patent pending Body Lifting System, please call into the PHIL Sales Department at +1 (309) 697-9200 today.

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PHIL is focused: On Safety

Philippi-Hagenbuch, Inc. — Tue, 03 May 2011 18:54:42 +0000

Safety is a primary concern for any type of operation, from the smallest gravel pit to the largest open-pit mine. And nothing can shut you down quicker than lapses in safety. While safety is mainly about well being of the workers, safe practices actually boost productivity in the long (and short) run.

While productivity and cycle times are critical to every operation, unsafe operating practices, like overloading, unsafe loading and speeding are actually a greater risk because of the dangers involved. Smart managers know that safe operators (and operations) are efficient and productive operations.

There are safe ways to increase the capacity of your off-highway trucks without taking the risk of overloading, which can lead to unnecessary wear and tear on your truck, and even more so your truck’s tires.

Our Autogate® Tailgates and Specialty Bodies allow you to increase your loads effectively, without risking the stability and safety of your trucks. The same is true of our Rear Eject Bodies, which provide safe, stable hauling solutions for articulated trucks and a wide variety of materials.

We are so focused on safety at PHIL we have even been asked to make safety presentations. In 2009, LeRoy Hagenbuch and Josh Swank spoke at the SAE Conference in Rosemont, Ill., on “Safe Water Tank Design”. For a copy of this presentation, contact Josh Swank today.

Alaska Proud

Philippi-Hagenbuch, Inc. — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 22:23:42 +0000

A journey begins with a single step, which is what Construction Machinery Industrial, LLC’s clients made when they purchased the pictured PHIL HiVol(R) Low-Profile Rear Eject Bodies, which as of today are bound for Alaska.

Based on the end user’s low ceiling height specifications, these units were developed for the low-profile Volvo A30E cab and will be used in underground mining.

The simplicity of design, the 100% positive discharge and the fact that the PHIL design doesn’t use any rollers or have required lubrication points are the primary benefits for this end user. Additionally, they like the fact that these bodies can simply be placed onto the standard Volvo A30E truck chassis and hooked into the existing hydraulic system. No special truck, no special electronics or hydraulics. Basically, it’s “plug and play.”

For more information on PHIL Rear Eject Bodies or Trailers, which can be designed and manufactured for almost any make and model of off highway truck, please contact Josh Swank at (309) 697-9200.

Learn more about the PHIL Rear Eject at:
http://www.philsystems.com/component/reareject.html

Congratulations and Welcome Home Chilean Miners!

Philippi-Hagenbuch, Inc. — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 12:21:01 +0000

It’s great to see countries and private companies from all over the world come together to help rescue the 33 trapped Chilean miners. The final rescue of all 33 this week symbolizes ingenuity and determination in spite of everything that stood in front of the rescuers way.

Welcome home and back to the sunlight, miners! We are all proud of you and have been rooting for you since the cave-in happened.