Sunday, March 17, 2013 12:57:21 PM
3/15/13
COLUMBUS, Ohio—A new National Academy of Sciences report identifies tools that would help miners devise their own means of escape when trapped underground.
[Read this book online, free! Click here to proceed to linked table of contents https://download.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18300 ]
In part, the report suggests that The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) work closely with technology companies to develop new communications and tracking devices—ones that keep working underground after a mining accident.
It also suggests that NIOSH and MSHA work with mining companies to enable frequent escape drills and extensive training with safety equipment.
The report offers the first comprehensive examination of all the diverse factors that affect mining safety, said William Marras, professor and Honda Endowed Chair in the Department of Integrated Systems Engineering at The Ohio State University and chair of the report committee.
“All these factors have been reviewed before, but only in isolation. On the committee, we realized that the problem is that all these things are connected. So we analyzed each one to find out how they fit together,” Marras said.
For instance, when the air in a mine is contaminated with smoke or chemicals, miners are supposed to wear a portable air supply. But the standard design requires them to bite down on a mouthpiece to breathe, so they can’t talk.
“In an emergency situation, miners need to gather as much information as they can, as fast as they can. Sharing information is especially important, and you can’t do that if you’re wearing this mouthpiece,” he said.
“In an emergency situation, miners need to gather as much information as they can, as fast as they can. Sharing information is especially important.”
The committee suggested that researchers develop breathing devices that don’t inhibit speech, as well as easy-to-use electronic communicators that double as way-finders to help miners navigate to the safest exit—along with training to make using these devices second-nature in case of emergency.
The complete report, Improving Self-Escape from Underground Coal Mines, is available online from The National Academies Press.
Marras directs Ohio State’s Biodynamics Laboratory as well as the Institute for Ergonomics. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2009, and is the immediate past chair of the National Research Council Board on Human Systems Integration.
#
Contact: William Marras, (614) 292-6670; Marras.1@osu.edu
Written by Pam Frost Gorder, (614) 292-9475; Gorder.1@osu.edu
http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/miner_safety.htm
FEATURED Cannabix's Breath Logix Alcohol Device Delivers Positive Impact to Private Monitoring Agency in Montana, USA • Apr 25, 2024 8:52 AM
Bantec Reports an Over 50 Percent Increase in Sales and Profits in Q1 2024 from Q1 2023 • BANT • Apr 25, 2024 10:00 AM
Kona Gold Beverages, Inc. Announces Name Change to NuVibe, Inc. and Initiation of Ticker Symbol Application Process • KGKG • Apr 25, 2024 8:30 AM
Axis Technologies Group and Carbonis Forge Ahead with New Digital Carbon Credit Technology • AXTG • Apr 24, 2024 3:00 AM
North Bay Resources Announces Successful Equipment Test at Bishop Gold Mill, Inyo County, California • NBRI • Apr 23, 2024 9:41 AM
Epazz, Inc.: CryObo, Inc. solar Bitcoin operations will issue tokens • EPAZ • Apr 23, 2024 9:20 AM