The Ontario Mine Contractors Safety Association (OMCSA) has awarded the Timmins-based Dumas Contracting Ltd., one of Canada's leading full-service underground mine contracting firms, with its 2010 Worker Safety Innovation Award.
The award recognizes the Dumas Crosshead Design, the first of its kind to be used at an Ontario mine, namely during the shaft sinking of Lake Shore Gold's Timmins mine.
The design involves a caged or screened-in crosshead, which is a guiding device that prevents a shaft bucket from swaying as it's lowered into the shaft.
The idea of caged or screened crosshead first arose by another company in Quebec, which was further perfected by Dumas staff with the use of a proximity switch on the crosshead door, complete with an interlock system to keep the hoist from moving until the door is closed.
.jpeg;w=120;h=80;mode=crop)
