Cowls are fitted to the ranging arm and can rotate 360o around the shearer drum. The function of the cowls is to improve in cleaning up the coal face and assist with dust suppression. The ability of the cowls to be rotated enables them to be positioned according to which direction the shearer is traversing the face. If, for example, the shearer is cutting from the right side of the face to the left, the cowl on the head drum is positioned behind the drum to enable the picks to cut at the coal face. The cowl on the tail drum is positioned behind the drum to enable it to clean up the coal that has been cut from the face. The position of the cowl can be controlled by the operator’s control unit.