Improving Self-Escape from Underground Coal Mines (2013) / Chapter Skim
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2 Mine Safety Regulations and Practices
2 Mine Safety Regulations and Practices
Pages 19-36
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From page 19... ...
Regulations create a process to ensure mine safety that can be effectively applied to all mines, regardless of the mining method, production capacity, number of employees, or other mine characteristics. Consequently, regulations may be generically written to enforce only least-common denominator factors.
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From page 20... ...
And in some cases state agencies have stronger safety rules for mines in their own jurisdiction than required by federal legislation: for example, regulations on diesel exposure are stricter in West Virginia and Pennsylvania than those implemented by federal regulations.2 The committee recognizes the potential value of understanding the differences of state and federal levels of enforcement, including why some states appear more active in mine safety than others or the federal government; however, these issues are beyond the scope of this study. The most significant federal regulation influencing mine safety procedures in the last decade is the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER)
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From page 21... ...
In its final sections, the MINER Act calls for the establishment of a Technical Study Panel on the Utilization of Belt Air and the Composition and Fire Retardant Properties of Belt Materials in Underground Coal Mining, additional research to be carried out by the Office of Mine Safety and Health at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and scholarships. These mandated programs have ushered attention to mine safety as well as to the improvement and development of more advanced communication systems, tracking devices, dust explosibility meters, and shelters and chambers.
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From page 22... ...
Equipment, instruments, and materials are evaluated and tested by technical experts for compliance with federal regulations. Organizational, managerial, and resource constraints within MSHA can pose a challenge to the introduction of new technology and mining methods that can improve miner safety and health.
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From page 23... ...
underground coal mining market is large enough to generate broad interest from manufacturers of new technologies unless they have an opportunity to capture the lion's share of the market (see West Virginia Mine Safety Technology Task Force, 2006)
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From page 24... ...
International Standards for Equipment Some countries, such as Australia, have had success having their national certification process closely aligned with international certification schemes. An internationally recognized certification system, under the auspices of the International Electrotechnical Commission for Certification to Standards Relating to Equipment for Use in Explosive Atmospheres (IECEx)
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From page 25... ...
U.S. certified equipment may not meet IECEx certification standards and so cannot be marketed internationally without further testing.
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From page 26... ...
ROOF FALL: An unplanned roof fall at or above the anchorage zone in active workings where roof bolts are in use; or, an unplanned roof or rib fall in active workings that impairs ventilation or impedes passage; 9. OUTBURST: A coal or rock outburst that causes withdrawal of miners or which disrupts regular mining activity for more than one hour; 10.
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From page 27... ...
exercises, quarterly escapeway drills, and emergency response plans (ERPs)
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From page 28... ...
Unless practiced and tested through the use of MERD exercises, system failures in response plans may be hard to identify and could compromise the response process in the case of an actual emergency. MERD exercises are command-center-based training role-playing exercises designed to test emergency response.
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From page 29... ...
Quarterly Escapeway Drills Under CFR Title 30 (§ 75.1504 Mine emergency evacuation training and drills) , regulations now require that all miners participate in emergency evacuation training and drills and that these should occur at minimum on a quarterly basis.
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From page 30... ...
It is worth noting that many mine operators have, in addition to their required ERPs, emergency response protocols designed to address specific events such as serious injury, search for missing miners, and severe weather. Like the ERP, miners are trained on these protocols.
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From page 31... ...
The exercise has highlighted such issues as the need to be in regular contact with underground personnel during an evacuation and the need to know what has happened and what is happening underground. The reports from each exercise are publically available from the Queensland government.11 In addition, the findings from each exercise are made available to the mining industry through presentations 10 here T are currently only 12 underground coal mines in Queensland, employing a total of about 6,500 workers, producing about 30 million tons of coal.
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From page 32... ...
(2) All crews, all shifts training in emergency response, aided escape and IMT Involves – including weekends.
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From page 33... ...
Audit/Report Statewide District inspector/industry District inspector/industry Annually/periodically as required as required SOURCE: Queensland Government (2009, Table 1)
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From page 34... ...
Practical experience in these environments under controlled conditions reduces the level of uncertainty and the fear of the unknown among the workers. Requiring the testing of an emergency response plan through a rigorous and realistic exercise not only aids training, but also provides a valuable opportunity to improve system and safety performance through the careful and constructive assessment of the plan.
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From page 35... ...
CONCLUSION: Efforts on the part of mine operators and other in dustry stakeholders to empower self-escape in a mine emergency -- to include, but not be limited to training, technology, equipment, and emergency response plans -- need to be fully integrated and coordinated, using a human-systems integration approach, to establish unified, effi cient, and effective protocols. Among the key issues to be considered in pursuit of this goal are robust data collection, careful and constructive assessment of emergency response plans, feedback mechanisms from miners and mine operators to identify residual challenges and remedies, and active engagement with technology suppliers.
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From page 36... ...
These exercises should be an integrative practice incorporating the roles of miners, the responsible person as defined in 30 Code of Federal Regulations § 75.1501, the mine communications center, and any other stakeholders that the operator deems pertinent to a successful self-escape, including representatives of the miners where applicable. The scenario should test all aspects of the mine's emergency response plan and mine emergency evacuation and firefighting program to assure that these are effective and up to date.
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