Transcript Markham Newsletter

Markham Newsletter

Forward with Markham

March 1989 Issue No.29

Manager's Message

All the signs are that we are getting back into our stride with the pit flag flying again.

There has been a lot of comment about our coal clearance problems a No.2. I hope the article in the Newsletter about the bunkers will help to assure everyone that everything is being done to eliminate these problems.

With L.81's coming on stream, 1989/90 should see us producing consistent good tonnages. Good tonnages plus good housekeeping will drive down our cost per tonne, that equation will keep us in business for many years to come.

Tony's Pick's Team -Milers for the third time

[Image of a group of miners posing for a photo]

409's Face is now producing some excellent results. During week ending 17th March:- .
Tony Pick's team cut a mile in a shift.
All the teams totalled 50.5 cut for the week.

The total output was 14,900 to tonnes.

The Face advanced 29.6 metres.

Well Done [written in blue and looks like handwriting]

Managemnet Changes

[Three images of men in ties, the text is under each photograph]

MR. JOHN KELLEY

ls moving from Undermanager in the Threequarter Seam to Undermanager in the Waterloo

MR. MICK PADLEY

Has been appointed Seam Undermanager for the Piper Seam.

MR. PAUL COX

Has been appointed Seam Undermanager for the Threequarter Seam.

FACE LEAGUE TABLE

4 weeks ended 18th February 1989

L208's 31.20 metres

L2IO's 28.90 metres

L402's 43.80 metres

L31's 81.40 metres

L409's 36.80 metres

Monthly Output Required to Break Even [written in an arrow pointed to the table below]

[The following information is in a table]

BUDGET

Month

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

January

February

March

Weeks in Month

Month's Tonnage

132,000

117,000

142,000

121,000

85,000

146,000

151,000

148,000

189,000

98,000

134,000

197,000

Cumulative

132,000

249,000

391,000

512,000

597,000

743,000

894,000

1,042,000

1,231,000

1.329,000

1,463,000

1,660,000

ACTUAL OUTPUT

Month's Tonnage

172,446

172,175

167,135

144,141

71,565

149,881

125,549

141,217

118,044

62,023

106,912

Cumulative

177,446

344,621

511,756

655,897

727,462

877,343

1,002,892

1,244,109

1,252,153

1,324,176

1,431,088

[Map of the drivages for 1989/90]

SPOTLIGHT ON DEVELOPMENT
1989/90 The year of Development, creates exciting prospects for 1990/1991.
• We need to drive 6 miles or 10 kilometres of roadways during 1989/90, that's equivalent to tunnelling from Markham to Whitwell or Markham to Pilsley.
• These drivages will make 2.91 million tonnes of coal available during 1990/1991.
• As we increase the emphasis on development operations, we will be improving the reporting systems back to control, as it is vital that development delays are treated with the same urgency as face production delays.
• Two of the Units are retreaters where a metre of drivage today produces a strip of coal tomorrow.

BUNKERED!!!
The repon heard all too often that is causing such annoyance and frustration and is sapping morale at· No.2 L.31'sand L.409's men desperately want to cut coal, and these Units look capable of being winners. L.402's men are also making a good contribution, under difficult conditions, and No.2 pit is capable of producing 35,000 tonnes a week saleable IF we can get the coal out of the pit. We hope this Newsletter will assure everyone that the management team are as concerned with the bunker problems as everyone else, and we set out below what the problems are, and how they arc being ta.c kled . Yes we've made mistakes, we're putting them right.

Firstly, the Waterloo bunker was the first of this type to be designed by the original company comissioned to design the bunker. This company was taken over by another company soon after work started. That firm, was in turn, bought out. To say the least, this chain of events has n' t made solving the problems easy. Below is a list of the problems, and the work that has been done to remedy them.

L.30's Bunker
1. Underframe flexing and crabbing, which in tum damaged trapping rails. New underframe
supplied and all trapping rails changed.
2. Scroll not square on gearhead causing fixing bolts to shear, rectified.
3. No means of tensioning haulage chain. Equ ipment supplied and fault rectified.
4. Cowl would not work in automatic. Hydraulic equipment changed and now O.K.
5. Electrically, had to change several 'chips' to get the operations working correctly, now. O.K.

Pit Bottom Bunker

The design of 1he bunker is uch that a large proportion of the coal, when in the bunker, is difficult to get out. All pans and chain are worn out and require changing. With this in mind, rather than spend a lot of money and still end up with a poo r design, it was decided to change the design of the bunker to a scroll type.

Short term, the bunker has been shortened to onethird of its origina l length, which means we still have a bunker of approximately 100 tonne capacity to keep the shaft going. While we are working with the shortened bunker, all the remaining old equipment can be ripped out and replaced with the new. It is hoped to have the majority of the new tackle in before the pit holidays, then couple through in the holiday. This would then give a bunker total capacity of 350 tonnes. Cost approximately £450,000.

44's Waterloo

Advancing face, 300m long, available September 1990.

Face life 2,000m
Tonnes per cut 310 tonnes

Total coal 1.07M tonnes

Replaces 33's.

33's Waterloo Retreat
Retreat face, 255m long, available March 1990.

Face life 890m

Total coal 360,000 tonnes.

Replaces 31's.

407's Piper Retreat
Retreat face, 275m long, available March 1990.
Face life 810m.
Tonnes per cut 274 tonnes.

Total coal 380,000 tonnes.

Replaces 409's.

88's Blacksbale
Advancing face, 250m long (at present) available June 1990.
Face life 1,090m.
Tonnes per cut 360 tonnes.

Total coal 680,000 tonnes.

Replaces 81's.

1's Blackshale
Advancing face, 285m long, available July 1990.
Face life 980m.
Tonnes per cut 274 tonnes.

Total coal 420,000 tonnes.

Replaces 210's.

SPORTS AND SOCIAL

The Annual General Meeting of the Markham Sports and Social Club was held in February to set out the programme and budget for 1989.

Secretary/Treasurer, Joe Spacie, explained last year's balance sheet, and set out the money that will be available to each section next year.

The usual events will be arranged for 1989 with some new ventures that we hope will give more scope for everyone at Markham to take part in our Sports and Social activities. Anyone interested in helping with any event, contact Geoff Davis or any Union Official.

THE PROGRAMME FOR 1989

GOLF

A full day's golfing at Chapel-en-le-Frith Golf Course bas been arranged for 5th June. Organiser, Dave Flint, emphasises that anyone is welcome, even if they have never played golf before. Notices will be posted giving full details soon.

FIVE-A-SIDE FOOTBALL

Ian Batty has agreed to stage a competition this year, probably over 3 Sundays, on one of the local pitches. As before, teams will be representing Districts, Departments, Shops, Faces etc. rather than teams of "Ringers", so start getting your teams together.

Would anyone intere ted in helping Ian to organi e this event, contact him or me (Geoff Davis).

COURSE FISHING

Stuart Cuthbert and Ray Johnson will be organising 3 or 4 matches again, and will be putting up notices as soon as venues are fixed.

CLAY PIGEON SHOOTING

Geoff Hall who arranged last year's clayshoot has moved to Area Workshops. The Sports and Social Club own a clay launcher, and we are looking for somebody to organise a shoot on thesame lines as last year, a Sunday evening with opportunity for novices to have a go.

BOWLS

Alan Haywood and Ray Martin, retired members of the Sports and Social Club will again be organising the Bowls Competition at The Queens Park Annexe.

FLOWER AND HORTICULTURAL SHOW

The date of this year's show will be Saturday 2nd September. Excellent cash prizes will again be paid, and emphasis will be on attracting novices and more exhibitors. We hope to stage the Mineworkers' National Onion Championships again.

Anyone interested in the show or with any ideas, contact Geoff Davis or Barry Gilthorpe. (What about a cage bird show on the same day).

SEA FISHING
Pete London isorganising a sea fishing tripfor the 12th June.There has been so much interest, he is trying to get two boats. Notices will be posted as soon as details are finalised.

SUMMER HOLIDAY FREE DRAW
The free draw will take place in the canteen before the holidays, when all members will have a chance of excellent prizes, with a Summer Holiday theme.

RUGBY UNION
We will again be hoping to take part in the Central Area Floodlit Rugby Competition, and anyone interested in playing, contact me.

SNOOKER
This would be a new venture, and the outline proposal is to hire the Clay Cross Snooker Centre function room for an evening, and run a single frame knockout competition throughout the evening, with a buffet provided. Volunteer organisers are required and Tony Perry & Stuart Cuthbert have already agreed to help .

CRICKET
Steve Beniston has agreed to run the cricket knockout again, and is desperately looking for helpers, umpires etc.

MARTIAL ARTS
John Rake is running GO DAI martial arts classes in C hester field , and Markham Sports and Social Club members get special concessions. ·

SCUBA DIVING
Mick Smith will again be extending an invitation to Sports and Social Club members to have a go at Scuba Diving.

OUR RACE HORSE
We are looking into the possibility of buying a share in a race horse which should give racing enthusiasts so.me inside information and concessions at race meetings.

TRAINNG DEPARTMENT

Why did 31 die?

Lessons to be Learned?

[Opposite is a London Underground sign for King's Cross - a red circle with the text white on a blue background].

WHY?

To increase awareness of the danger of fire at Markham.

To train our workforce to deal with a fire quickly and efficiently to minimise the danger.

HOW?

We are running courses every week involving instruction. video films, actual fire-fighting practise and self rescuer wearing. We are calling on the expertise of the 12 men at Markham who are already trained firemen, and are part time members of the Derbyshire Fire Service, as well as our own Training and Fire Officers.

WHO?

We have tarted with the people who work alone or in small groups in the remoter areas of the pit, such as haulage teams, belt patrol men and linesmen.

WHERE?

The films and instruction will bein the Rescue Room, with fire fighting practise on the surface fire fighting zone?

WHEN?

Courses will be run every Thursday, with members selected from various sectionsof the pit and the colliery surface to minimise disruption of work.

NOTE:

The Pre-Post Tests are a set of 20 questions on fire-fighting and 20 ont he self-rescuer, designed to help the Training Officers so that they can make sure everone would know what to do in an emergency.

[Two images of men fighting fires]

COURSE SYLLABUS

10.00am-10.20am Travel out of pit and pre-tests (Rescue Room)

10.20am-10.55am Fire fighting film (Rescue Room)

11.00am-11.20am Self rescue film (Wearing Self Rescuers)

11.20am-12.00 noon Practical fire-fighting (Surface fire-fighting zone).

12.00pm-12.25pm Bath and cup of tea.

12.25pm-12.45pm Post test for Self Rescuer and Fire Fighting.

12.45pm-1.00pm 'Smell of Burning' film.

1.10pm- Open Discussion

THE SAFETY ENGINEER'S REPORT

LOOK AFTER YOUR EYES What is the difference between these two pictures? Both pictures are identical except that the picture on the right is a blind mans view. [two images are a drawing of a landscape with a river, hills, bridge, tree, clouds and sun and a black square].

There are many job in lhe pit that can cause flying particles, such as chopping ropes or bolts, using cutting heads on face machines and sharpening tools on grinding wheels.

Any one of these jobs is a potential hazard and your eyes are particularly at risk.

There are various types of eye protection available designed to suit our need, mainly in the form of goggles or visors. Most are designed to fit on or around your helmet so they can be put out of the way when not in use but can easily be pulled over the eye when necessary.

All persons who are regularly exposed to risk of injury to their eyes such as craftsmen and machine drivers must be issued with eye protection, so if you haven't got any, get some before you lose your sight.

Goggles are available from the lamproom, emergency supplies are also kept in first aid stations underground. Please do not take these unless you intend to use them for a job underground.

Visors are available from the safety department which is now situated upstairs in the control room block.

Note to Supervisors:-

If you deploy men to a task that involves risk to their eyes lhen it is yo ur rcsponsibuity to ensure that they have eye protection in their possession and are advised lo wear it.

ACCIDENT REPORTS

We are getting a lot of ARI reports coming in late, this causes problems with the time office as well as the safety department.

If you have an accident, ensure it is reported to your official before you leave his district.

It is with sadness that we have to report the deaths of three of our colleagues. At Blaenant Colliery in Wales, two men were killed when they attempted to ride a conveyor through an air-lock, and at Hem Heath Colliery, a man was killed when he was attempting to pick up a set of pull lifts that were being transported along a conveyor that fed into a crusher. He failed to recover the pull lifts, with the result that he passed through the crusher.