Report on the causes of, and circumstances attending, the Overwind which occurred at Brookhouse Colliery, Beighton, in the County of York, on 4th March, 1958.

10th June, 1958.

1. In accordance with your direction, given under Section 121 of the Mines and Quarries Act, 1954, I have the honour to submit my report on the causes of, and the circumstances attending, the overwind which occurred in the No. 1 Downcast Shaft at Brookhouse Colliery, Beighton, in the County of York, at 6.30 a.m. on 4th March, 1958, when 36 of the 44 persons in the descending cage sustained reportable injuries.

2. During my investigation at the colliery I was accompanied by representatives of the National Union of Mineworkers, the British Association of Colliery Management, the National Coal Board and H.M. Inspectors of Mines.

3. My investigations showed that the overwind occurred as a result of the excessive speed of the winding engine which had not been sufficiently controlled by the application of both regenerative braking and mechanical braking. These were not as effective as they should have been when applied by the winding engineman and by the automatic contrivance to prevent overwinding, namely, a Lilly Controller which, however, was not properly equipped.