ABSTRACT
Around 50% of roof fall accident occurs within the green roof zone that is under the 10m area ahead of a blasting face. The effective and proper support of this zone may reduceroof fall accidents significantly. This paper deals with the development of such a support which can be erected in front of a blasting face within a distance of 1.2m and wouldn’t dislodge after blasting and be able to bear a considerable load under the freshly exposed roof, in order to achieve the safety for the workers who move into the face immediately after the blasting for loading the coal. It also discusses the mechanism and operations of the prop and the layout for underground application alongwith the techno-economics of the new support proving its suitability for common Indian coal mines.
