lunes, 30 de enero de 2012

Haul truck tire rim safety

A tire shop worker was inflating a haul truck tire. For those of you not familiar with tires, haul truck tire pressure is extremely high. The tire must be mounted perfectly onto the rim, and care must be taken not to overinflate the tire. On smaller-size tires, the inflation process is controlled by placing the tire and rim first in a tire inflation cage. If there is an explosion due to improper mounting procedure, defect in the tire, or over inflation, the explosion is maintained within the safety cage. No one gets hurt from flying debris. On large-sized haul trucks, tire inflation process is done after the tire is mounted on the rim and on the truck. There is no safety cage to protect the tire shop worker.

On this day, as the tire was inflated on an improperly fitted rim, it exploded, blowing pieces a hundred feet in the air and in all directions, instantly killing the tire shop worker. I heard the explosion from my mill site office, and the BOOM of a tire exploding haunts me to this day. Tire rim safety must be a top priority of anyone involved with mine safety.

Note: If you wish to learn more about safety at the mining companies, click the Amazon icon below:

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