Exploitable results The design of protective cabins for miners The design principles of underground protective cabins were examined at workplaces where control and communication tasks are carried out. Requirement for new protective cabins at stationary workplaces underground and the shortcomings of previous protective measures were established. Requirements specific to the mining industry for underground protective cabins were as follows: ability to be dismantled and moved by mine cage; easy to assemble/disassemble; easily adaptable to local conditions; easy to clean; protected against firedamp; easy escape route; nonflammable materials; protected against electrostatic charge. General requirements were grouped under the following headings: siting, construction, size, walls, flooring, windows, door, noise reduction, climate, illumination, desk/table, indicators, controls and seating. The construction principle for the cabin involved sectional construction, capable of being disassembled and expanded. Elements were made dustproof by insertion of foam strips before elements were screwed together. The cavity walls had inner and outer skins of 1.5 mm thick sheet steel insulated with 40 mm of highly compressed, nonflammable mineral wood matting. The roof was 84 mm thick with an outer skin of 2.5 mm thick sheet steel to protect against rock falls, an inner skin of 1.5 mm thick perforated plate for sound absorption, insulated with 80 mm of mineral wool matting. The floor comprised a 100 mm high base frame, then 5 mm thick floor plate topped with 3 mm thick fabric reinforced nonslip rubber floor covering. The door was soundproof, with double rebate and sliding bolt closure and the windows were double glazed (6/12/6 mm thick) in neoprene mountings. The protective cabin construction was then tested at a particular workplace: the shaft inset control station. The executive summaries in English, and the final reports in Community languages, are available on request to: Community Ergonomics Action Bureau of Information an d Coordination PO Box 237 L-2012 Luxembourg. Searching for OpenAIRE data... There was an error trying to search data from OpenAIRE No results available
