Ropes for keeping Miners Safe
By: The Working Man
Miners need to use very high tensile strength rope not only to
secure or haul equipment but also for their own protection.
Miners' ropes are required to be non-conductive to protect from
the possibility of electric shock and to be made of material like
polypropylene that does not absorb moisture and is easy to clean.
Some types of ropes for use in the mines are manufactured
customized per the job so that all possible needs and challenges
are taken into account for that particular job.
Tensile strength is also very important; usually the higher grade
materials are used to ensure more tensile strength. The highest
tensile strength for rope is woven metal, which can hold a lot of
weight. The metal rope, when it was first invented,
revolutionized the way mining was done.
Some miners' ropes are safety or guide ropes that protect the
miner from falls and are able to guide miners quickly and safely
out of mines. These are usually made from non-conductive,
waterproof rope and in most cases are brightly colored for high
visibility.
Some mining belts or harnesses are made to hook onto these
guidelines for safety. These ropes and harnesses are designed to
prevent falls, which are one of the major injuries on a mine site
because of the dark and slippery walls and floors of mines.
A new type of guide rope is under development. It will provide
directional cones that are high visibility and attached to the
rope. Even in the dark the hand can easily pass over these cones
when going the right way and the cones will stop the hand if the
miners are going the wrong direction. This gives the miners a
sure way to be able to get out of a mine quickly and safely.
Rope is a necessity to tie up equipment, haul loads or equipment
and provide safety to the miners, so you will find many types of
rope on mining sites.
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