However, recent events and the dramatic upsurge of fatal accidents need to be reviewed and the causes determined. MyNAP members SAVE 10% off online. ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one. Miners work in a confined space that has the potential to collapse on them at any time, despite efforts to maintain the integrity of the roof, ribs and floor of the void in which they work. It can attribute an increased body of knowledge to this work. Mines blow up when methane gas accumulations go undetected or inundate a mine quickly before power can be cut or the area can be ventilated. There is a need for advancing ventilation research and combining it with methane drainage techniques in a systematic control of methane, Limited impact anticipated because research is lagging industry practice, Provide a modern laboratory for health and safety research, Major impact but needs to target investigations pertinent to all stakeholders, Prevention and Mitigation of Gas or Dust Explosions, High—research is needed in natural causes of explosions, Future improvement likely with the release of the dust meter, Prevention and Mitigation of Mine Inundations, Adequate, but need practical application of the designs that already exist. laws, regulations, and cultural or other practices, direct application may not be feasible. Coal mine operators are required to maintain an incombustible content of at least 65 percent in the entries and 80 percent in the returns (30 CFR 75.403). The subject of emergency communications has been of particular concern for two committees of the National Research Council (NRC) that dealt with mine rescue and survival issues (NAE, 1970; NRC, 1981). Examples of international work with potential domestic application include research on refuge chambers (DJF Consulting Limited, 2004), emergency response (Brenkley et al., 1999), and self-escape vehicles (Davis, 2006). Current research projects fall into one of the four intermediate goals listed in Table 12-1. The deepest mines are in South Africa and exceed 10,000 vertical feet. MSHA lists a number of approved explosion-proof seals (Lowrie, 2002). The web site that NIOSH maintains is in need of redesign. Research expertise and facilities are not easily developed. The Mining Program should be more involved in monitoring the work of, and partnering with, international bodies to determine the domestic applications of work done abroad. © 2020 National Academy of Sciences. Signature Accomplishment: Disaster Prevention Research. I'm not sure what the rule is, but near the surface I just follow the normal structural integrity rules. All rights reserved. Table 12-2 lists projects undertaken by the Mining Program in the area of mine disaster prevention research. A major aspect of preventing an incident from growing into a disaster involves human behavior, training, and response effectiveness. Video: Bear Grylls admires miners' courage, Fine art from an iPhone? You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Audiences are limited at technical symposia. The Mining Program has also identified four intermediate goals and performance measures in this research area, summarized in Table 12-1. Management must commit to preventing accidents by providing adequate resources for the identification and control of hazards. Technology transfer to others (e.g., MSHA), Without a focus on elimination of methane, impact will be moderate, Design Guidelines for Mine Ventilation Stoppings, Develop guidelines for ventilation stoppings that withstand in-service load conditions, Somewhat relevant, but many guidelines already exist, Impact not likely if the focus is not on materials and installation that can be applied readily throughout the industry, Fire Hazard Reduction in the Metal and Nonmetal Mining Industry, Fire-resistant materials, early warning, training, and education, Results should lead to further improvements in fire reduction, Investigation of Methane Control Issues in Underground Mines, Investigate and quantify mine design and geotechnical factors leading to methane emission and subsequent control, Loosely connected. Current research may result in new knowledge, but only limited application of that knowledge is expected. I believe if it goes 3 across (I think this is the lowest). What controls cave collapses? Public concern about mine accidents has already prompted passage of stricter safety legislation, … It is difficult to find particular information and should include an easier way to access Information Circulars and other publications of interest to the industry. 109-236) requiring use of the NIOSH-evaluated Directional Lifelines for Mine Evacuations; and. impact in the workplace. Some research has led to changes in MSHA rules and regulations that directly impact the workplace, but research in areas such as communications, miner self-rescue, and emergency response is not adequate. Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text. There is no magic bullet to prevent injuries and loss. The best Instagram photos from 2014, After IVF shock, mom gives birth to two sets of identical twins, Inside North Korea: Water park, sacred birth site and some minders, Former coal miner Mark Radomsky had close call with death; grandfather killed in mine, People with close ties to mining laud and defend it, the safety expert says, Mining produces wealth, raw materials, lifts people out of poverty, he says, Safety very difficult, he writes; miners need management to be fully committed. Other notable outputs include a computer-based emergency simulation exercise (MERITS), the Emergency Communications Triangle training materials focusing on the content of emergency warning messages, and the evaluation of the lifeline and development of directional cones for self-rescue. A more proactive approach should be taken by the Mining Program, including an analysis of MSHA citations where mines fail to meet regulations consistently in specific areas and a review of geologic settings and operational methodologies leading to increases of incidents. However, because of differences in. Thousands of hard-working folks are killed and injured in mines worldwide each year. The Dust Explosibility Meter should influence the state of rock dusting and could be a factor in limiting the propagation of an explosion, but a direct measure of lives saved is not possible. These papers have great weight in the regulated community. According to the Quecreek Commission, there was no lack of basic technical knowledge, but the availability of practical engineering designs (which may have to be site specific) was a major limitation. The lack of education and training of the general mining workforce pertaining to methods to predict, prevent, and deal with a mine emergency. Based on the discussion of the ideal mining program in Chapter 3, the Mining Program needs to continue its efforts in disaster prevention and further strengthen its efforts in the area of disaster response. In recent years the Mining Program has changed from an inwardly focused agency to one that willingly participates in partnerships and seeks input from all facets of industry, labor, and regulatory agencies. This is not currently required by regulation. Emerging hazards will arise as the production of resources enters into a higher level of geologic complexity. These types of partnerships have not been used by the disaster research prevention group until recent months with the formation of an industry-government partnership with the National Mine Rescue Association. Technology News provides executive summaries of NIOSH mining safety and health research milestones, making them easy to review, and includes complete contact information for the topic discussed. Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name. Monitoring the work of, and partnering with, international bodies would help the Mining Program determine the domestic application of work done abroad. pillars and supports. -- To controlling the hazards associated with the worker, the equipment, material and the environment. Inputs to the mine disaster research group are varied and include stakeholder requests for assistance, stakeholder information-gathering meetings, response to disasters as participants in industry and government workgroups, analysis of fires in the mining industry, and fatality and injury analysis data from MSHA. There was no opportunity for them to evacuate or take refuge. Historically, mine disaster prevention research within the Mining Program has been of the highest relevance and has had the highest positive impacts on the worker. A critically important output was recently released to industry. Continuous stakeholder awareness of resources is necessary for goals to be achieved. Southmountain Coal Mine No. In cases where the regulatory bodies have not acted on the recommendations, they are incorrectly referred to as fact when differing parties champion their views. The committee realizes that mine disaster prevention is a complex area requiring expertise in several fields such as (1) mining engineering; (2) fires and fire control engineering; (3) methane, coal, pyrite, and other explosives—their initiation, progression, and control; and (4) the impact of all of these on normal mine operations, disaster response and management, and so forth. Current work by the Mining Program in the addition of inert gas to smother mine fires has been practiced by industry since 1949 (Adamus, 2002). How do we defend this very blue-collar occupation, which claimed the life of my grandfather, some of his friends and almost killed me, when I was actually pinned between a rock and a hard place? This takes dedication, a conscientious work force and some good fortune. As they say in Minecraft "Never mine straight up.". But let's also be fair. It is generally acknowledged that the most effective emergency communications system is one that is used for routine communication. The Mining Program presents papers in these forums and supports them in many ways. © Valve Corporation. NIOSH has issued many criteria documents1 in need of action. U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) and Mining Program work in this area has been incorporated in other industries (e.g., in grain elevators). More recently, the Pennsylvania Governor’s Commission on Abandoned Mine Voids and Mine Safety—the Quecreek Commission—addressed the issue of emergency communications (Commission on Abandoned Mine Voids and Mine Safety, 2002). The required use of lifelines during emergencies is expected to contribute to saving lives given appropriate enforcement. These are distributed to stakeholders as they are published through mailing and e-mail lists. -- To safe work practices and procedures. 91-596), which declares that NIOSH will recommend occupational safety and health standards describing exposure concentrations considered safe for various periods of employment. The challenge to identify and control hazards in this workplace is unequaled. Efforts are required to make this technology available at all mines. These are delivered directly to the interested parties in real time. The outputs address some but not all of the high-priority areas; the strengths are in the area of mine fires, and training at the Lake Lynn facility for rescue teams. How do I know if my cave or base is safe or if it is getting too big? Reduction in inundations requires the application of technology to identify voids and the potential for inundation in advance, for example, via accurate surveying control and geophysical methods, which already exist and are in use at some mines. Stakeholder input in the area of disaster research appears to be moderately adequate in that it relies predominantly on the analysis of fires and of fatality and injury data. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book. Do you enjoy reading reports from the Academies online for free? A former supervisor of mine was fond of saying, "Plan for the exception, and expect it to happen." Mine roofs collapse for many reasons, such as fault lines in the strata, inadequate bolting or other mechanical controls, inadequate pillar size or improper mining methods.