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By Raymond Derzay

This publication is intended to be of value to the mineral industry in establishing and maintaining effective programs for preventing noise-induced hearing loss. Factors involved in this loss and the need for and the requirements of an effective hearing conservation program are discussed. The legal and legislative history of compensation for hearing loss is briefly reviewed. A review of statutes is not attempted since several States have recently modified) or are in the process of modifying their laws regarding permissible noise exposures) required hearing protection) and/or compensation for hearing loss. A review of other aspects of the problem of industrial noise in terms of medical, physiological) and psychological frames of reference is included. A hearing conservation program is described in detail. Appendixes detailing the names and addresses of a few equipment suppliers are included. References are provided for those who may wish to delve more deeply into the medical, technical, and scientific considerations of noise and its effect on man.

Jan 1, 1972

By Larry G. Stolarczyk

[STATES REPORT Mining Research Mine Health and Safety Research for Period Ending 30 September 1980 PROGRAM Wireless MF Communication System DATE STARTED January 1980 TPO (USBM) Robert I. Chufo (PSRC) CO ( USBM) Alan G Bolton, Jr, (Mr. Patrick Neary RESEARCH AREA Industrial Type Hazards SCHEDULED COMPLETED Phase I 29 September 1980 Phase II 29 June 1981 Phase III 29 April 1982 Subject OBJECTIVE Development of demonstration Hardware. for medium frequency mine tireless communication system.]

By Keith L. Harris

Real gross national product3 (GNP) grew at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.2% in the fourth quarter compared with a revised 4.3% rate in the third quarter, according to the most recent estimates released by the U.S. Department of Commerce (table 1). Expanding inventories, Government purchases of goods and services, residential fixed investment, and a narrowing of the trade deficit fueled the growth. Significantly reduced consumer demand led to the heavy inventory growth. Almost half of the buildup in inventories consisted of automobiles because consumers reduced purchases when Detroit ceased most incentive programs in late summer. Reduced consumer demand also affected imports, however, and the narrowing of the trade deficit resumed after widening in the third quarter. Nonresi- [ ] dential fixed investment also declined after a strong gain in the third quarter. On a year-to-year basis, the economy grew at an inflation-adjusted rate of 2.9%, the same as that of 1986. However, on a fourth-quarter-to-fourth-quarter basis, the real growth reached 3.8%, the highest growth since 19M, and exceeded the Reagan Administration's estimate of 3.4%. Rising merchandise exports accounted for about one-third of the growth in GNP for all of 1987 and are expected to continue to grow as domestic manufactures benefit from the lower value of the dollar vis-a-vis other major trading country currencies. Consumer demand became a less important factor of economic growth, but employment continued to grow (table 2), and civilian unemployment declined by 0.9 percentage points (December to December) as the industrial sector geared up to increase exports. Inflation, as measured by the fixed-weighted GNP price index, remained low at 3.4%.

Jan 1, 1988

The importance of controlling respirable dust and methane gas levels in underground coal mining cannot be underestimated. While respirable dust can significantly affect the occupational health of underground coal miners, methane gas accumulations pose significant safety concerns for these same workers. Water sprays and machine mounted dust scrubbers offer effective control of respirable dust exposures and methane gas accumulations. Water must not only be applied carefully to avoid dust rollback to the machine operator but must create sufficient turbulence to remove dead zones that could contain high concentrations of methane gas. While the flooded-bed dust scrubber has been generally responsible for decreased worker exposures to respirable dusts, this device has proved effective in controlling methane levels at the face. This paper reviews practical applications of water sprays and dust scrubbers to control respirable dust and methane gas on continuous miner faces.

By H. C. George

This report presents a comprehensive tabulation of lifting cost data collected from oil companies in many different fields. These data were collected during the writer's studies of surface equipment and methods of pumping oil wells, in practically all of the important oil fields in the United States and are based on average operating conditions at 57 groups of properties with a total of 4,497 producing wells. Although lifting cost is only a part of the total cost of producing oil, it nevertheless gives a representative cost figure for purposes of comparison.

Jan 1, 1923

By Ramie H. Thompson

1.1 BACKGROUND In many underground coal mining operations the use of electromagnetic field equipment, particularly communication systems, not only increases the overall efficiency of the mining operation but can be directly linked with mine safety considerations. The use of electromagnetic field producing equipment in underground coal mining operations can only be expected to grow. Several new communication systems have already been proposed. In addition, high-frequency producing equipments for many diverse uses in mining operations are under study. The use of these equipment in underground mining operations is hampered by the possibility of their electromagnetic fields interacting with the electric blasting cap operations commonly carried out in the mines. Such interactions can have at least two results bearing directly on mine safety: o premature initiation of the cap, either in its normal shot location or during hookup or transportation; o dudding of the cap so that normal firing operations do not cause irritation; thereby leaving unexploded high explosives after normal firing. Since the consequences of a premature initiation could, particularly in coal mines operations, result in catastrophe involving human life, the overall approach to prediction of possible hazard must be, as far as possible, of a "worst case" nature. The general problem of predicting possible RF hazards for any electroexplosive device (EED) is best treated by reference to Appendix A of

Jan 9, 1983

By S. Malhotra

Processes for the recovery of manganese contained in low-grade domestic sources are evaluated. Conclusions are based on analysis of literature, technical evaluation and cost analysis. The Nossen Nitric Acid Process, the Sulfuric Dioxide Process rind the Ammonia Leach Process should be developed further as they offer the hunt opportunity for commercialization.

Jan 1, 1984

By Don M. Coulter

"INTRODUCTION The Lookout Mountain coal deposits were examined by J.L. Stratton, an engineer of the Bureau of Mines in April and May 1943. The area investigated includes that part of southern Lookout Mountain in townships 4 to 8, south, ranges-9 to 11 east, and contains approximately 140 square miles in DeKalb and Cherokee Counties in northeastern Alabama (fig. 1.)Six coal seams having a minable thickness of 18 or more inches are represented in the area. The third seam, known locally as the Hill seam, has been correlated with the Upper Cliff No.1 seam and is referred to as such throughout this report. The preliminary investigation indicated that the Upper Cliff No. 1 seam is a low-volatile, high-grade coking coal. The work done on this project was confined principally to determining the amount and grade of coal in this seam.The only existing maps of mines in the area were one of the Lookout Fuel Co. at Lahusage, Ala. (fig. 2), and one of the Lookout Mountain Iron Co. at Battelle, Ala. (fig. 3), Consequently, to gain some knowledge of the grade and tonnage mined, surveys of the other mines were necessary. Many of them were caved, and many were filled with water, necessitating considerable preliminary work."

Feb 1, 1947

By Fremont F. Clarke

"INTRODUCTION Clay beds of southwestern North Dakota were investigated to determine (1) the average alumina content of the clays in four principal areas of occurrence, (2.) which, if any, would be the most feasible method of extracting alumina from the clays, and (3) whether the clays had any other commercial uses.During the investigation exposed sedimentary beds were examined for clay and the thickness and areal extent of outcropping clay beds in the more promising areas were measured. Four-principal areas of bentonitic clays, comprising 6,967 acres in Stark, Slope; and Billings Counties, N. Dak., were mapped and sampled.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSIn its program of investigation of mineral deposits, the Bureau of Mines has as its primary objective the more effective utilization of our natural resources to the end that they make the greatest possible contribution to national security and economy. The Mining Division, Lowell B. Moon, chief, conducts preliminary examinations, does the actual investigative work, and prepares the final report. The Metallurgical Division, Oliver C. Ralston, chiefs analyzes samples and makes beneficiation tests.Acknowledgment is duo John P. Gries, professor of geology, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, for his studies of and advice on geological phases of the work. His data were drawn on freely in preparing this report; also E. D. Gardner, regional engineer, Rolla, Mo., and E. Y. Dougherty, district engineer, Rapid City, S. Dak., for assistance and advice in supervising the program."

Mar 1, 1948

By C. W. Morris

This study was performed for the U.S. Bureau of Mines. An existing computer simulation of a dragline was modified to simulate a dragline dumping into the hopper portion of a cross-pit conveyor system. This revised computer model was then used to study four proposed cross-pit conveyor systems. Parameters such as dragline position, hopper position, and digging procedure were varied to maximize the dragline production. This performance was compared with the conventional side-casting spoil method. I t was concluded that the cross-pit conveyor systems were competitive with the conventional side-casting technique.

Jan 1, 1977

By L. Nahai

THE OUTPUT ff the mineral industry in 1964 in both non-Communist and Communist Europe showed an upward trend for most countries in keeping with the higher index of overall industrial production. Comparable indexes of mineral industry production for non-Communist and Communist Europe (including the U.S.S.R. in Asia) are not available, primarily because the U.S.S.R. does not report details of its industrial production by industrial sectors. However, available data both in the form of index numbers on production published by the United Nations and based on data as reported to the United Nations by the various countries, and actual production data for selected major commodities published by the various European countries reflect generally expanded output by both the extractive sector and the processing sector of the mineral industry in most of the 26 nations of Europe.

Jan 1, 1966

By R. L. Marek

An important problem in the efficient conduct of industry is that of helping the individual employee to formulate an attitude toward his work which will result in the reduction of accidents and the promotion of safety. Perhaps nowhere is the need greater for this type of Psychological training of carefully selected men than at oil refineries whore both the raw materials and the finished products are highly inflammable and explosive in nature. However, the refinery organization usually is well adapted to educational safety activities - much more so than in the producing, pipe line, and marketing departments where the personnel are more or less scattered; but the same general principles of conduct hold true in any industrial organization. This problem of directing the attention of the employees to their specific tasks or helping them to control and frequently eliminate hazards engendered by adverse mental attitude or emotion is met most satisfactorily by carefully selecting applicants and placing them at jobs for which their ability, best fits them. The subsequent training of these carefully selected employees to assure their most effective work in accident prevention mu be accomplished in a variety of ways, such as by personal supervision and instruction, inspections, drills, and by the studied use of well thought out safety pamphlets and posters. This procedure is simple in outline and not original in scope, yet the importance of selecting and training the personnel has, not been generally accepted by the petroleum industry until recent years. In 1926, the Bureau of Mines, while making a study of accidents in the petroleum industry, found that medical examinations of prospective employees were not receiving unanimous endorsement by all companies, and the point was stressed that the selection and allocation of employees was a problem requiring serious consideration in the petroleum industry.

Jan 1, 1932

Note: This is a progress report and therefore not necessarily conclusive. Further data may result in conclusions somewhat different from those reported here. Crop Growing Season The monthly average temperatures, total precipitation, and evaporation for the demonstration mine are shown in Table 1. [ ]

Jan 1, 1980

By William R. Roy

Seven coal-related waste samples (mining, cleaning, and gasification) were characterized chemically and mineralogically. Laboratory extracts of each sample, using a variety of different extraction methods, were used in both acute and chronic bioassays. A coal slurry sample (coarse fraction) and two coal cleaning refuse samples were chemically and mineralogically similar, and generated acidic water-waste systems, both in the laboratory and in the field. Acidic laboratory extracts and field samples of acid mine drainage in the area where the solid samples were collected, tended to be in equilibrium with some type of CaSO4 phase and with maghemite. The chemical composition of the extracts was sensitive to the method used to generate the extracts, but generally had the same prevalent chemical character as the field samples. The acidic wastes contain appreciable quantities of soluble Al, Mn, Ni, SO4, and Zn as indicated by both laboratory extraction and field data. Long-term extractions suggest that some constituents (Al, Fe, SO4) continued to be released by the acidic wastes after 22 weeks with no apparent associated change in pH. Two mine spoil samples, essentially shale, tended to generate water-waste systems that were neutral in pH and consequently released lower quantities tit potential pollutants than the acid wastes. The gasification residue was compositionally similar to coal-fired power plant slag and fly ash and generated moderately alkaline extracts with low concentration of soluble potentially toxic constituents. All of the solid wastes contained a variety of organic compounds, many of which are on the EPA Priority Pollutant List. However, these compounds were essentially insoluble in aqueous media. Each extract was tested for acute toxicity with tour species of freshwater aquatic organisms; green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus), fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas), a crustacean (Daphnia magna), and a snail (Physa anatina). The extracts of the two mine spoil samples and of the gasification residue were not toxic to any of the organisms while the extracts from the acidic refuse and slurry samples were acutely toxic to all of the organisms. For all cases, pH was significantly correlated to mortality while Al, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Zn were significantly correlated to mortality in specific instances. Data from 96-hour LC-50 determinations showed that dilutions up to 1:1000 were necessary to eliminate mortality. The most toxic extracts were those with the lowest pH which necessitated the largest amounts of dilution to eliminate mortality. Chronic bioassays with the same test organisms were investigated with leachate samples from a relatively unweathered refuse sample and an older, more weathered refuse sample. The unweathered refuse sample generated a leachate that was acutely toxic while the leachate from the weathered refuse sample was not acutely toxic. No detrimental chronic effects were noted in organisms exposed to dilutions of the non-toxic leachate while low concentrations of the acutely toxic leachate produced lower hatchability for the Lepomis cyanellus and Pimephales promelas eggs, increased mortality with chronic exposure for Lepomis cyanellus, Daphnia, Physa, and reduced weight gain for Physa. Dilutions of a toxic, high-Fe leachate resulted in the precipitation of ferric hydroxide that was implicated as the major causative factor accounting for the physical and physiological toxic effects exhibited by all of the test organisms in these acutely sublethal concentrations. The toxicity of this leachate demonstrates the potential effects that these types of wastes can have on the aquatic ecosystem if they enter a receiving water in a natural setting.

Jan 1, 1984

By Robert G. Lundquist

The Bureau of Mines compared longitudinal strain energy output of a percussive drill to energy determined by measuring maximum piston velocity. Strain gages were used to determine the strain-time waveform and its amplitude at seven levels of operating pressure and eight levels of thrust. The longitudinal strain energy was found to be approximately 14 ft lb less than the maximum piston energy at comparable operating conditions.

Jan 1, 1969

By Andrew M. Leszcykowski

A 1981 U.S. Bureau of Mines investigation indicates the Panamint Dunes Wilderness Study Area (WSA) has one active (intermittent) mine,--borrow pit MS 242 owned by the California Department of Transportation (Cal Trans). This mine produces cinders for road base and traction grit. It contains about 900,000 tons of inferred reserves. Examination and sample analyses indicate the Panamint Dunes deposit, covering about 480 acres of the WSA, may have silica resources and the Green Quartz Claim may have copper resources. Carbonate rocks occur in the WSA, but stone resources have not been identified. Adjacent to the WSA, the Big Four Mine contains 35,000 tons of inferred subeconomic zinc-lead-silver resources, and may have additional resources. Sample analyses indicate the Apple 1 Claim, also adjacent to the WSA, may have silver-lead-zinc resources.

Jan 1, 1985

By D. K. Ingram, G. L. Mowrey, T. R. Rehak

This paper summarizes fly rock and blast area security fatalities from 1989 to 1999 and examines the causative factors. Coal and nonmetal mining used about 43 billion pounds of explosives and blasting agents between1989 to 1999. A majority of this consumption was used at surface mines. Accident data indicates that fly rock and lack of blast area security were the primary causes of blasting related injuries in surface mining. Fatal injuries due to lack of blast area security were attributed to: failure to clear blast area; failure to follow instructions; inadequate guarding; inadequate blasting shelter; and unsafe location. Seven fatalities due to fly rock and lack of blast area security were reported in surface coal mines and six in nonmetal mines. Out of these, two fatalities (one each in coal and nonmetal mines) occurred outside the mine property. In the coal mining sector, two fatalities were attributed to fly rock, and five to lack of blast area security. In the nonmetal mining sector, three fatalities were attributed to fly rock, and three to lack of blast area security. Preventive measures include: ensuring that all personnel have evacuated the blast area during shot firing; using adequate blasting shelters for employees whose presence is required in the blast area; controlling and monitoring all entrances to the blast area; ensuring that the blast is properly designed, drilled, and loaded; and emphasizing education and training to enhance skill levels for implementation of engineering control techniques.

By James Ridenour

The Gearhart Mountain Wilderness and RARE II area 6225 encompass 22,823 acres (9,236 ha) of the Fremont National Forest in southern Oregon (fig. 1). The area was studied under the provisions of the Wilderness Act of 1964 (Public Law 88-577). The U.S. Bureau of Mines determined the mineral potential of known mines, prospects, or mineralized areas, while in a separate effort the U.S. Geological Survey made geological, geochemical, and geophysical studies. MINERALIZED AREAS The study area contains no mining districts or known claims. Nearby occurrences of uranium, base metals, perlite, mercury, and diatomite apparently do not extend into the study area. Reconnaissance pan samples reveal only trace amounts of gold. No anomalous economic minerals were found in heavy mineral fractions of samples from stream beds draining the area.

Jan 1, 1982

By Alan R. Buehler

The Bureau of Mines conducted a mineral investigation of the 32,270-hectare Cache Peak study area in 1992; the area had been proposed as wilderness. Bureau personnel examined and sampled prospect workings; 50 rock and placer samples were taken during the investigation. The study area is centered about 25 km southeast of Challis, Idaho, in the Challis National Forest. According to May, 1993, Bureau of Land Management mining claim records there were no current mining claims located inside the study area. Up to 100 claims may have been located in the study area in the past. Gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc: Significant analyses, poor exposure precludes resource estimate. Limestone: More than I billion tonnes may be chemically suitable for a variety of uses, markets too distant to favor mining. Dolomite: More than 1 billion tonnes may be chemically suitable for producing magnesium metal, markets too distant to favor mining. Sand and Gravel: Several million m3, but markets and transportation costs do not favor mining. Chalcedonic nodules: Two localities in the study area may be of interest to hobbyists who cut and polish stone. There is no reported past production from the study area.

Jan 1, 1993

By Nathan Feldstein

The wetting of coal dust by aqueous solutions of surface active agents (surfactants) has been studied. Selected for study were thirty coals and typical surfactants selected from the typical classes of anionic, non ionic and cationics. Of these three classes the practical use of cationics in aqueous solutions has been eliminated due to the inherent negative Zeta potential charge of the representative coals studied. The wetting of the coals has been examined by column flow, contact angle, and settling rate measurements. Results indicated that both anionic and nonionic surfactants are to be considered viable for use; low critical micelle concentration values are also preferred for the surfactants. Study of native waters showed substantial variation in properties, i.e., pH, calcium ion concentration, and conductance. pH variations were also noted to affect the effectiveness of selected surfactants. Combinations of nonionic and anionic surfactants have, in certain instances, produced synergistic enhancement in the coal wetting superior to the effectiveness of each surfactant alone.

Jan 1, 1981