The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) Mining Program recognized several organizations working in their respective industry sectors (i.e., coal, metal/nonmetal, aggregates, etc.) for employing technology to improve safety.
In the coal category, CONSOL Energy and Simmons Equipment Co. won for collaborating to design and implement an innovative scoop bucket. The S360 bucket can lift and lower rather than merely tilt up or down, which offers a combination of operational and safety benefits. With this new bucket, a scoop operator can quickly change between attachments and gain better visibility to navigate safely around nearby workers and obstacles. CONSOL is currently replacing its fleet of scoops with the new S360 bucket.
“It is a benefit to the entire mining industry to have such innovative approaches tackle both new and persistent challenges,” said NIOSH Associate Director for Mining Jessica Kogel, Ph.D.
