WorldWide Drilling Resource

The Importance of a Check-in/Check-out System Adapted from Information by the U.S. Department of Labor MSHA (Mine Safety and Health Administration) recently issued an alert to draw awareness to the importance of having an effective check-in/check-out system. In the U.S., every underground mine must establish a check-in and check- out system to provide an accurate record of everyone in the mine. The records must be kept on the surface in a place which minimizes the danger of it being destroyed by fire or other hazards. Every person underground is also required to carry a positive means of being identified. In the event of an emergency, not knowing how many people are under- ground, or who they are, can have dangerous consequences. Remember, each tag represents a human life. The check-in/check-out system also ensures blasting under- ground can take place without exposing miners to high-risk hazards including oxygen deficiency, gases, and blast concussions. This system provides a way to make sure all workers are accounted for, and if someone is missing, mine rescue teams can be deployed. Suggested best practices include: • Every person entering underground operations must place their personal tag on the tag board before descending underground. • Whenever a miner reaches surface, they remove their personal tag from the tag board. • A designated person should check the tag board to confirm everyone from the previous shift has checked out. • When blasting is scheduled to take place, the supervisor in charge of blast- ing should inspect the check-in/check- out board and make sure it is clear before allowing blasting to take place. • The tags need to be made of a rust- resistant metal of not less than 16 gauge. Please don’ t take your mine’s check-in/check-out system lightly. Your crew’s l ives depend on the system being used accurately and consistently. 28 OCTOBER 2017 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Art Beatty, Your article Stay Out of the Water [page 45, September 2017 WWDR ] brought back memories for me. I saw it happen in 1963, at Marble Canyon, Arizona, for Boyles Bros. My old boss, George, sent our camp truck into a flooded wash with much the same results as yours. Larry Fleming Reader’s Response