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By John J. Sammarco

Mining has one of the highest annual average fatality rates among major US industries. Health and safety dangers have been inherent to mining since the early days of picks and shovels. Even though miners’ health and safety has improved over the years, mining is still one of the most dangerous occupations. Mining was traditionally a low tech industry. It is now driven by competitive pressures to go high-tech by using programmable electronics (PE) for machine control, atmospheric monitoring and material processing. The industry’s experience with the functional safety of PE is limited compared with other industries. Thus, PE is an emerging technology for mining that can potentially create or worsen hazards.

Jan 1, 1999

By R S. Hamilton, S R. Grobler, M E. Greenway

The progressive development of underground mines frequently requires increased ventilation flow rates through mine shafts that were originally designed for lower rates. Where these shafts are equipped with conveyances running on rope guides, the higher air flow rates adversely affect the lateral motion of conveyances and could cause conveyances to collide with the shaft walls or with one another. Hence the safety impact of higher flow rates requires proper assessment. This can be undertaken by use of computer simulation models to predict the dynamic motion of the conveyances during hoisting. It can also be undertaken entirely by field testing, or using a combination of simulation and field testing. This paper discusses these techniques and makes cautionary remarks about setting an absolute generic maximum flow velocity for all shafts. Approaches to assess existing shafts for increased ventilation flow rates are also discussed.CITATION:Greenway, M E, Grobler, S R and Hamilton, R S, 2017. Safety impact of increased shaft ventilation on rope guided conveyances, in Proceedings Australian Mine Vent Conference 2017, pp 261–270 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 28, 2017

By Mark Leggett, Kevin Roberts

The need to modernise and increase the safety provision of older road tunnels raises challenges in maintaining the operation of the tunnel during such improvement works. The Mersey Kingsway twin road tunnels located in Liverpool UK, constructed in the late 1960s, have had three new cross passages constructed to allow emergency evacuation from one tunnel to the other tunnel and provide safer access for emergency services. The 3200m long road tunnels are lined with an unusual reinforced concrete steel-faced segmental lining with a paint finish. Construction of the cross passages occurred during night possessions with the tunnels returned to normal operation during the daytime. Constructed through water bearing sandstone and lined with precast concrete segments, the passages required advance ground treatment and support works. This paper presents the historical background to the Mersey Tunnels and describes the procurement strategy, design and construction approach adopted for these important safety improvements.

Jan 1, 2003

By W C. Brukle

Our title for this presentation could be taken in many ways. One course would be terrifying and that would be to cite incredibly bad practices. All of our votes/efforts should be for the reverse direction in which everyone does his/her best to keep their pit or working place free from hazards.

Jan 1, 1983

By W. E. Selnes

Introduction In 1938, a survey conducted by the Ontario Mining Association revealed a rather startling fact. Injuries incurred in chute pulling were more numerous than those from any other single cause. This report prompted Mr. W. B. Paton, then Inspector of Mines for Manitoba, to make a similar survey of the mines of his Province. It indicated that, in Manitoba mines, chute accidents ranked second only to those from falls off roofs and sides. Why has the mining industry been so slow to recognize the dangers of chute pulling? A partial answer may be the lack of any systematic classification of accidents according to their real cause. The result has been to attribute to other causes injuries which were a direct outcome of chute pulling, and, indeed, has made it difficult to analyze accidents in the industry as a whole. Perhaps, too, because chutes are generally located in the comparative safety? of the drifts, there has been a tendency to consider the occupation as not very hazardous. Not until enough statistics were obtained on this particular task could it be appraised correctly. The Mining Association's survey has been most helpful, and latterly the industry has done a great deal toward analyzing the causes of chute accidents and toward determining an effective means of overcoming them. Much, however, remains to be done. An effort will be made in this paper to outline methods which have been found successful in materially reducing the number of injuries. Qualifications of the Chute Puller First of all it must be realized that chute-pulling is a specialized occupation. The men require proper training for the job, just as in other mining operations. Care must, therefore, be taken to choose persons whose qualifications fit them for the job. Chute-pulling is an integral part of the general mining operation and cannot be considered as isolated from the tasks of other workers. One of the essential qualifications of a chute-puller is a sufficient knowledge of mining operations to appreciate the effect his work will have on the safety of others in the vicinity. He must take the necessary precautions, by verbal warnings, by placing barricades and signs, or by personally guarding the chutes, to prevent accidents to fellow workers.

Jan 1, 1947

By Gordon MacVean

The object of this paper is to present for your consideration some of the present-day trends of safety practice in the coal mines in the United States and Canada. Coal mining at its best is a hazardous occupation. Men must be experienced miners in order to appreciate the existing hazards and must remain ever conscious of them if they are to work safely. The question is often asked whether our efforts for increased safety are showing results. So often it appears that strides are made for a period of a few years in the reduction of fatalities and lost-time accidents only to have all ground lost by an unfortunate year, after which progress is commenced again only to have a repetition of the same thing. Table No. 1 is an answer to this question. It shows the fatality rates over the last two decades in the coal mines of the United States and Canada. These are given in divisions of five years. The general trend is noticeably downward, exceptions being due to explosions or disasters which claimed an unusually heavy toll of life. These last are certainly not as common today as they have been in the past. It is only reasonable to suppose that this trend towards a lower fatality rate is the result of well directed safety effort. Reliable statistical organizations have offered figures to the effect that only 15 per cent of all accidents can be eliminated by the use of mechanical safeguards. The state of mind of the man involved, or his attitude towards safety, commonly called 'safety-consciousness,' is the controlling factor in the prevention of 85 per cent of our accidents.

Jan 1, 1931

Explosive manufacture, handling and transportation is hazardous and special precautions should be taken while manufacture, handling and transportation. Various regulations and rules defined in explosive act and factories act of India are discussed in this communication. General process control measures during the manufacturing of different types of explosives are also dealt in detail. Various processes hazardous in manufacture of various explosives like slurry explosives, PETN, detonators, styphnic acid, lead azide and lead styphnate and special precautions to be taken during the manufacture of the above explosives are also discussed.

Jan 1, 2007

By J. V. W. REYNDERS

IN THE remarks which I am about to make concern¬ing the safety work of the Bureau of Mines, I want first of all to disengage myself from a disposition, which is frequently in evidence, to give spectacular emphasis to the hazards of mining operations. It is of the' utmost importance to the industrial welfare of our country that the enormous annual requirement of fuel be produced and be made available in our economic activities, with a minimum of distress and hardship. The safety of coal mining is a condition with which. we are all concerned in a fundamental way. And yet we should not rush to accept hastily conceived notions that laxity among employers in respect to safety measures exists to any outstanding degree. In fact in a large number of instances, the precautionary efforts of min¬ing companies, directed to the elimination of accidents are beyond all criticism, albeit the industry suffers in reputation from the carelessness of, its less effi¬cient constituents. The Bureau of Mines has been a leading influence in disseminating the doctrines of safety, in securing the cooperation of the miners themselves, and in stirring up ' the laggards, both among the employers and the employed. It is much to the interest of well-conducted mine operations that the industry, as a whole, observe safety regulations to the utmost.

Jan 1, 1925

By John T., Ryan

THE subject assigned me, "Safety in Mining," is a very broad one and only the high spots can be covered in this short paper. As this is a meeting of the Coal Division, these remarks will be directed largely to coal mine safety, although the principles of safety and effective accident prevention methods are relatively the same in every branch of mining or industrial work. The coal mining industry should take pride in the part it has played in the development of the accident prevention movement, and there is ample proof for the statement that the first real organized accident prevention, work, both abroad and in this country, was con- ducted in the coal mining industry.

Jan 1, 1930

The final session on Wednesday morn¬ing was given over to a panel discussion of safety questions submitted by members of the institute. Mr. Murray presided, and Lyman Fearn, chief, Wyoming Dept. of Mines & Minerals, Rock Springs, Wyo., was moderator. Members of the panel were: John A. Garcia, chief mine inspector, New Mexico; Leonard Ford, mine foreman, Frederick- mine, CF&I, Valdez, Colo.; A. C. Moschetti, chief, coal mine inspection branch, USBM, Denver; Kirk V. Cammack, mining engineer, USGS, Denver; Joel N. Van Sant, chief engineer, St. Louis, Rocky Mountain & Pacific Coal Co., Raton, N. M.; Emery Olsen, safety engineer, coal mine and quarries, U. S. Steel Corp., Dragerton, Utah; F. J. Peternell, safety engineer, Union Pacific Coal Co., Rock Springs; and J. J. Reddy, mine inspector, Colorado Dept. of Mines, Grand Junction, Colo. On a question concerning the effect of roof-bolting on the maintenance of a breakline in pillar removal, Mr. Van Sant reported that some experience at his company's mines indicate that wood supports are not necessary to make the break although shooting is sometimes done to get it. Furthermore, bolting improves the roof in these pillar areas and extraction has increased about 20%. Mr. Fearn concurred in describing operations in parts of Wyoming.

Jan 1, 1953

By C. M. Brinckerhoff

Safety work in mining at the Andes Copper Mining Company, Potrerillos, Chile, is divided into three parts: (1) accident prevention, (2) fire prevention and protection, and (3) silicosis prevention and control. In the company's operations a steady campaign has been waged to reduce accidents and silicosis, and to prevent fires. In the following pages the safety record for the past twelve years will be examined and the methods explained by which the accident rate was reduced. Table 1 contains yearly data pertaining to the scale of the mining operations and the accident record. Block caving is used for all ore production and the tonnage mined has aver- aged 30,000 short tons per day for the past seven years. Table 2 classifies 44 fatal accidents which have occurred since 1935. The leading causes of accidental death are transportation of ore and use of explosives, followed in order by per- sons falling, falls of ground, and by asphyxiation. In the case of serious accidents, however, the greatest cause is falls of ground, followed, in turn, by ore

Jan 1, 1949

By H. S. Eisner, J. -P. Leger

Published South African fatality and injury statistics for mine accidents are investigated. Where possible, the South African statistics are compared with those of other countries. Commonly held attitudes to the South African accident experience are also examined. Analysis reveals that the published accident rates present a more favourable picture than the rates actually experienced by underground workers. In addition, fatality rates in South African underground gold and coal mines do not differ significantly and have remained stable over the past decade, although the injury rates have decreased rapidly. No evidence was found that this is due to improved safety, and a comparison with international fatality and injury data suggests that it is not. The underground fatality rate for South African coal mining is, on average, eight times that of the UK, four times that of all EEC coal mines taken together, and over double that of the USA. Despite the unreliability of the injury rates, much has been made in South Africa of their rapid decline, an emphasis that appears to be misplaced.

Jan 1, 1988

By T. W. Martin

In 1973 the percentage of total coal production mined by surface methods in the United States again increased, reflecting a long term trend. Barely three decades ago less than 10 percent of the U.S. coal was produced in this manner. Last year surface coal mines produced 299 million tons, 50.7 percent of our nation's coal. At present there are about 2450 strip mines producing coal in 23 states. While accident rates for surface coal mines are less than underground coal mining rates, surface coal mining is certainly one of the more hazardous occupations. Figure 1 shows the injury rates (fatal and non-fatal accidents) of major U.S. industries. Note that surface coal mining is more hazardous than all other industries except contract construction. Accident rates are about the same as the contract construction industry which uses similar equipment. A limited amount of detailed data was available on elements of surface coal mining jobs and this lack of compiled information made it difficult to assess the significance of the conditions contributing to accidents and to make recommendations that would reduce accident frequency. Therefore as part of the Bureau of Mines continuing research efforts related to the health and safety of the coal miner, a contract was awarded to Theodore Barry and Associates of Los Angeles to conduct an "Industrial Engineering Study of Hazards Associated with Surface Coal Mines."

Jan 1, 1974

By David Kennedy, Noel Hsu, Miguel Araos

The use of bulk explosive for mining applications started in the 50’s. Since then millions of tons of that material have been transported by road. However during that time, there have been several road incidents involving them. This type of incident has forced the explosives manufacturers as well as regulatory organizations to look for a better classification of explosives in order to regulate the industry as well as to mitigate community concerns over the classification of mixtures of substances that are regarded as precursors to explosives.

Jan 1, 2006

By LE B. GRAY

ALL meeting of the Chemical Section, National Safety Council, in Rochester, N. Y., put his hand on at least ten salient points that apply to safety in nearly any laboratory ; these are as follows : 1. Impress your laboratory worker at the start that he is dealing with powerful and dangerous-forces and that every experimental set-up must be studied from the stand- point of its fiber, electrical, explosive, and health hazards.

Jan 1, 1929

By W. J. Schuster

*Original Pages Missing From Book HANNA COAL CO., Division of Pittsburgh Consolidation Coal Co., operates three large under- ground mines in eastern Ohio. The section of Pitts- burgh No. 8 coal seam in which these mines are located varies in thickness from 52 to 64 in. It is immediately overlain by a stratum of shaly material 12 to 15 in. thick locally known as draw slate, which is structurally very weak and which disintegrates rapidly upon exposure to atmosphere. Immediately above the draw slate as it is normally found is a band of extremely high ash material 6 to 12 in. thick known as roof coal or rooster coal, and above this is a stratum of conglomerate material varying from 4 to 10 ft in depth. Overlying the conglomerate is' a relatively thick stratum of limestone, the first stable material above the Pittsburgh coal seam in eastern Ohio. With the method of full-seam mining that has been adopted, draw slate is shot down, loaded with the coal, and removed in the preparation plants. The roof coal then becomes the permanent roof. The major problem in mining the No. 8 seam in eastern Ohio is control of the roof. Since the strata above the draw slate contains no material with a structure firm enough to provide self-support, the roof begins to sag in a relatively short time after the coal and draw slate have been removed. The problem thus becomes one of getting temporary safety posts under this roof as quickly as possible to prevent a break or separation from occurring either in the roof coal or in the conglomerate above it.

Jan 5, 1954

By N J. Betts

This paper aims to build on the strong emphasis that was placed on safety in the Sydney AITES-ITA Congress in March 2002. It will do this by comparing safety records from some major tunnelling projects in Europe and Australia over a period commencing in the second half of the 19th century to the second half of the 20th century and examining reasons for the apparent marked improvement that appeared in the 1980s. Further by looking at the relationship between this improvement and current trends in the australian industry by means of a detailed review of the safety record for the Northside Storage Tunnel project in Sydney which was completed in mid-2000. The paper will conclude by providing a summary of the progressive approach adopted by the minerals industry in australia and summarising the current state of tunnelling and underground construction in australia with respect to recently completed projects and potential major initiatives.

Jan 1, 2003

By R Stosch, D Lohberger, J Rodler, E Schnell and A Bassler, H Ramseier

In the last two decades three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations have become an important tool in engineering sciences. More recently, the safety requirements in underground railway stations have increased with regard to incidents. For this reason, existing underground stations (eg Munich, Strasbourg and Berlin) are being equipped with smoke extraction facilities to protect passengers from smoke and visibility impairment in the event of fire. In addition, designs of planned underground stations (eg Karlsruhe, Doha) also include these facilities.For the commissioning of ventilation engineering systems with complex structures, the functional testing of the whole technical installation are important, as are the acceptance tests of ventilation and equipment parts. This functional testing includes not only the technical inspection of the equipment but also the acceptance measurements of the capability of the equipment and the execution of hot- or cold-smoke tests to confirm the effectiveness of the ventilation system.Due to the fact that the overhead contact line and other sensitive installations were already installed in the tunnel roof at the time that smoke tests were proposed, hot-smoke tests with fire loads up to a maximum of 1 MW could only be executed. Therefore, the evidence of the attainability of the safety objective had to be provided computationally in this special case with a fire scenario of a heat release of 10 MW using CFD simulations.This paper presents the interplay between the results from acceptance testing and smoke tests and the use of 3D CFD simulation and virtual reality using the example of Allmend station, which was repositioned underground and is part of a new section of track from Lucerne railway station to Kriens in the Zentralbahn network. The steps of the verification and validation of the computer model are presented with the real tests and measurements.CITATION:Stosch, R, Ramseier, H, Lohberger, D, Rodler, J, Schnell, E and Bassler, A, 2014. Safety in underground railway stations – an example of the interplay between testing and 3D computational fluid dynamics simulation, in Proceedings 15th Australasian Tunnelling Conference 2014 , pp 103–112 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 17, 2014

By Erik Sundström, Magnus Nygren

Having seen significant improvements to accident rates in the last 40 years, companies in the Swedish mining industry now show a greater focus on the development of safety cultures throughout their organisations and workplaces. However, there is a lack of research examining the different safety initiatives and strategies practiced in the industry today. This study explores the potential influence and consequences such initiatives may have on the development of safety cultures in the Swedish mining industry. Twelve interviews with experts on safety initiatives from four different Swedish mining organisations were conducted and analysed in a process based on qualitative thematic analysis to identify notable connections to safety culture development. The results of these interviews highlight proclivities in the implementation and use of safety initiatives such as subjects of focus, methods and desired effects. This enables the interpretation of the conceptualisation and methods for the development of safety culture in these organisations based on their approaches to safety development. We believe the results of this study can serve as support for discussions on safety culture development in the Swedish mining industry, and be of interest for international mining industries, in addition to approaches to research in this field. However, we also believe it is important to emphasise the opportunities to approach safety culture in mining from different perspectives than those common today.

Jul 19, 2023

By Erik Sundström, Magnus Nygren

The study explores the influence and consequences of safety initiatives on the development of safety cultures in the Swedish mining industry. It involves interviews with experts from four mining organizations, highlighting themes such as organizational structures, safety leadership, feedback, and communication.

Nov 1, 2023