r/Damnthatsinteresting 8d ago

Video Coal mining

45.3k Upvotes

2.7k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

96

u/I_Feel_Rough 8d ago

I bet he doesn't use electric tools like that either. Everything must be certified intrinsically safe before it can be taken underground, at least in Australia.

34

u/OrganicLandscape7218 8d ago

Because of explosive gasses and/or particulates?

84

u/I_Feel_Rough 8d ago

Yes, those jack hammers are a potential source of ignition.

17

u/HeyBoone 7d ago

Used to work in a mine and had to calibrate all of the gas sensor stations as well as perform ventilation surveys on a weekly basis. This ensured that every working area had ample air flow for all of the equipment that was running and that no areas were exposed to harmful levels of toxic gases. Everyone wore gas detectors as well which would alert if they sensed explosive gases.

11

u/catsdrooltoo 8d ago

Yes, most electric tools will spark somewhere. They need to be specifically designed for explosive environments. I used to do metal fabrication in aircraft fuel tanks sometimes, and we had to use air drills and brass punches to avoid making any sparks.

4

u/AABA227 8d ago

True in the US too. My father in law is a miner and once saw a crew get in trouble because they brought an electric chainsaw down there.

6

u/nicolas42 8d ago

lots of machines in Australian mines work on compressed air I believe

6

u/I_Feel_Rough 8d ago

Even the starter motors on the mine vehicles run on compressed air.

1

u/CupOverall9341 8d ago

I think I got the same jackhammer from Bunnings...