Underground Mine Disaster Survival and Rescue An Evaluation of Research Accomplishments and Needs (1981) / Chapter Skim
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INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Pages 7-28
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appointed a Committee on Mine Rescue and Survival Techniques to assess survival and rescue techniques for use in mine disasters. That committee was concerned with: o The degree to which miners' prospects of survival might be improved in the event of circumstances preventing their normal withdrawal from a mine.
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In 1979, the Bureau of Mines asked the National Academy of Sciences to review the accomplishments of its post-disaster survival and rescue program in the light of current technology and needs, and to recommend future research directions and ways of effectively implementing research results. In undertaking this task, the Committee on Underground Mine Disaster Survival and Rescue has examined not only the Bureau's program, but also the nation's experience with mine disasters since 1970 and the present capabilities and practices of mining companies and government agencies as they relate to disaster planning and emergency operations.
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1.2 SCOPE OF THIS STUDY In conducting this study, the Committee on Underground Mine Disaster Survival and Rescue has o Reviewed all underground mine disasters that have occurred in this country since 1968 to identify kinds of equipment or procedures that could have saved lives had they been available. The committee has also reviewed the reports of investigations of these disasters to assess their value in guiding decisions concerning research, regulations, and mine operations, o Evaluated the survival, rescue, and recovery procedures and equipment currently in use and under development to determine their potential for reducing the number of fatalities in mine disasters.
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During the period 1970-79, 195 people died in underground mine disasters, while 1438 died in other accidents, as shown in Table 1.1. Survival and rescue of miners following an accident depends upon (1)
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1.4 A MINE DISASTER SURVIVAL AND RESCUE SYSTEM The four essential elements of an underground mine disaster survival and rescue system are illustrated schematically in Figure 1.1. The elements are: hazard identification, mine design, disaster response, and post-disaster audit.
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. There are approximately 2,500 underground coal mines in the United States, accounting for roughly 40% of the nation's coal production, and approximately 500 underground metal mines, 100 underground non-metallic mineral mines, and 100 underground stone mines, which together account for 6% of the nation's ore production.
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Enactment of significant health and safety legislation at both the federal and state levels has closely followed major mine disasters * The Bureau of Mines Organic Act, P.L.
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1.6.1 The Federal Role Changes in the federal government's responsibility for mine safety have developed through the series of legislative actions shown in Table 1.3, culminating with passage of the Federal Metal and Non-metallic Mine Safety Act of 1966 (the 1966 Metal Mine Act) , the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 (the 1969 Coal Mine Act)
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PA0P0StD M.lt. lMI PI 11-171: Foooril Coll HlM HoolU Mrf ItloU Act or lMI 1.l1.lt77 PL H-lMt Foofril HlM liroly mil Hultk Act or lI 77 *
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and the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, as appropriate, shall conduct such studies, research, experiments, and demonstrations as may be appropriate -- (1) to improve working conditions and practices in coal mines, and to prevent accidents and occupational diseases originating in the coal-mining industry; (2)
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NIOSH is responsible for conducting research relating to miner health, and together with MSHA for testing and certifying devices used to detect hazardous materials in mines and protective equipment used by miners. MSHA and the Bureau of Mines work cooperatively to identify areas in which research and development have the potential to contribute significantly to an improved survival and rescue capability.
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is responsible for promulgating and enforcing regulations to implement federal mine safety and health laws.* Regular mine inspections are conducted under the supervision of district managers (there are distinct organizational elements addressing coal and metal-nonmetal mines)
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Accidents resulting in two or more deaths, fires that are not extinguished within 30 minutes, explosions, inundations, entrapments, and any other accidents requiring mine rescue and recovery procedures are immediately reported by the district or subdistrict manager to MSHA headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. The district or subdistrict manager is authorized to take whatever actions may be necessary to protect lives pending the receipt of instructions from Arlington.
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Table 1.4 lists the 18 situations during the period 1970-1979 when MEO facilities were deployed, and in each case shows the elapsed time between occurrence of the accident, the MEO alert, the MEO deployment, and the arrival of the MEO team at the accident site. The time spans between the MEO alert and the order to deploy, and between deployment and arrival on site, have been quite variable, with the latter occasionally taking as long as 36 hours.
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NIOSH plays a public health role in addition to its research role. Its activities in mining include health hazard evaluations, general mining surveillance as mandated by law, and medical surveillance including coal miner x-ray and autopsy programs.
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