Mining Product: The Sky is Falling

• Education and training
• Highwalls
• Surface mining

This video tackles the issue of highwall safety in surface mining and construction. The storyline follows investigative reporter Gerald Rivers on a 5 day special report to substantiate rumors of falling sky in the Western U.S. Filmed on location at surface operations in Wyoming and Nevada, the video covers five basic areas: Blasting Safety, Personal Protective Equipment, Anatomy of a Highwall, Common Equipment on Surface Sites, and Common Signs of Hazardous Conditions. Through Gerald's misguided attempts at news gathering we learn the truth about highwall safety from the experts - the miners.

Mr. Rivers proposes a series of far-fetched theories as to why the sky is falling in scattered areas around the country. His desire for recognition and fame take precedence over finding out "the truth," but throughout the week, a series of experts from the mine sites instruct him as to what is really going on (that is, about mines and mine safety). The weeklong news-story format allows the video to be broken into five segments, enabling a trainer to show the video in sections and add information to augment the lessons provided. Specific lessons inc1ude: 1. Blasting safety, personal protective equipment; 2. Anatomy of a highwall, common equipment on surface sites; 3. Common signs of hazardous conditions, weather, berms; 4. Personal responsibility for safety; and, 5. Old workings, undercuts.

Total runtime: 38:45