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Full Details

Surname
COWIE
Forename
William
Day
12
Month
12
Year
1927
Age
Occupation
Mine/Quarry Name
Mary Pit
Mineral Worked
Coal
Owner
Fife Coal Co. Ltd
Location
Lochore
County
Fifeshire
Details of Event
Inspector of Mines' Report - 1927: By machinery: At Lochgelly Colliery, Fife, on 12th December, a miner was filing into the top end pan of a Blackett Conveyor in a seam 2 ft. 4 in.. Thick and inclined at 1 in 4. Between the end of the pan and the return drum of the scraper was a gap of 5 1/2 in., and his arm was caught in this and severed just below the elbow. He also received other injuries to the chest and he died a few hours later. He may have been resting for a moment and inadvertently put his arm in a position to be caught, or he may have slipped while working. This type of conveyor had been in use for at least 15 years and, while I find the Company is alive to doing the right thing, it had not occurred to any of their officials that there was danger from this part of the machinery. A guard was immediately devised and fitted, and the Makers were communicated with by the Owners so that all other customers might be warned.