http://www2.polskieradio.pl/eo/dokument.aspx?iid=118255
Katowice mine to provide fire-proof clothes
20.10.2009
Katowice Coal Holding is introducing protective undergarments made from a polymer fibre resistant to high temperatures to protect minors against burn injuries.
The company has sought added safety measures following the September tragedy in the Wujek-Slask mine in which twenty victims were killed in a methane explosion. The mine company, located in southern Poland, is drawing upon a measure introduced in mines owned by the Czech company OKD to require miners to wear shirts similar to those worn by firefighters, race car drivers and astronauts.
“Seeing as it worked there, we can try it at our company,” reads a statement from Katowice Coal Holding management. Many miners at the company have, however, expresses dissatisfaction at the proposal, claiming that it is too hot underground to wear a bulky shirt.
“We are not talking about heavy coveralls, such as those that firemen wear, but about light clothing that can decrease the effect of a burn,” claims Eugeniusz Malobecki, head of the mining company's health and safety department who had previously worked for 17 years in the mines.
The shirt costs between 200-400 zloty (48-96 euro) and can only be washed up to 150 times before the protective fibre wears down. (mmj)
Source: Gazeta Wyborcza