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Full Details

Surname
?
Forename
?
Day
NK
Month
NK
Year
1925
Age
Occupation
Mine/Quarry Name
Queensberry Mine
Mineral Worked
Lead
Owner
The Wanlockhead Lead Mining Co. Ltd
Location
Wanlockhead
County
Dumfriesshire
Details of Event
Information from the Mines Inspector's report - 1925: Metalliferous Mines The first fatality occurred at Queensberry Mine, Dumfries, where lead and zinc ores are worked. A miner had tested with a scraper part of a shot hole that had been left after the previous shift had charged and fired it. He was then about to bore it deeper when a portion of the blasting gelatine charge, which had remaned unexploded at the back of the hole, was detonated by the compressed air drill. He received such injuries that he died 6 hours later. It was an understood rule and instruction that no boring was to be done in or near old shot holes because cases such as this had been known previously. This accident was the result of disregard of a recognised danger in metalliferous mines, to provide against which Special Rules are in force in some Divisions, prohibiting boring, or inserting any metal tool into, the socket of a hole which has been blasted by an explosive containing nitro-glycerine or guncotton. Sockets of holes should be examined after blasting to see whether any remnants of the explosive have been left behind and, if any are found, or if any doubt exists at all as to whether any explosive has been left, the safe plan is to insert a detonator and fire it.