Top Headlines
Chances Improve In Mine Disasters
By FRED CONNORS
POSTED: October 9, 2007
Article Photos
Since the January 2006 Sago Mine disaster claimed the lives of 12 miners in Upshur County and another accident at the Aracoma Mine in Logan County killed two, state officials have scrambled to find ways to help miners escape from danger.
Randall Harris, engineering adviser to the director of the West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health Safety and Training, said two major improvements have been made that “could mean the difference between life and death.”
He said one method is something as simple as a lifeline to lead endangered workers out of the mine.
“It’s a rope running out of the mine,” Harris said. “The miners can grab the line and feel attached cones that point toward the way out. The pointed cones are helpful in a smoke environment, where visibility may be very low.”
Harris also said air packs are more readily available to miners.
“They now have one on them at all times, and there are two more air packs located within reach of each miner in the area where they are working,” he said. “There are additional air packs located at stations for every one-half hour of travel time on the way out.”
Harris noted miners have received expanded training with hands-on escape drills.
“They are pretty much like fire drills held at schools,” he said. “The drills are making miners much more safety conscious.”
Despite these post-accident additions to the miners’ survival opportunities, the problem of two-way communication and tracking systems remains resolved; however, state officials remain diligent in their efforts.
Harris said 22 mines in his office’s Region 1, which encompasses all mines in northern West Virginia, are getting closer to having communication and tracking devices. He said the mines submitted revised plans to the state on Sept. 21, and most of them require minor modifications.
“Their modified plans should be back to us by Oct. 22 and once they are in, we will send them an approval that triggers a compliance schedule,” Harris said.
He noted once the plans are approved, mine operators will have 15 days to show proof of purchase for any product or service needed to implement the plan.
“If the plans get to us by Oct. 22, we will probably have them processed Oct. 26,” he said. “That would put us somewhere around the week of Nov. 12 as a due date for the proof of purchase documents.”
Harris said he sees no reason why all systems should not be up and running by the end of 2008.
He the state is working closely with the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health in an effort to come up with workable, explosion-proof systems to help miners survive mining disasters.
Share:
Facebook
MySpace
Digg
Stumble
Mixx
Fark
del.icio.us
LiveSpaces