ICSMRI 2013 is organised by IOM Communications on behalf of the Mining Technology Division of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. It will be held at Central Hall Westminster, London, England, October 15-17. Conference Chair Patrick Foster, Senior Lecturer in Mining Engineering, Camborne School of Mines, told IM: “We have had a much better response than anticipated to abstracts having received over 70. As a result we are moving to a bigger venue [to the Westminster Central Hall]. Confirmed keynote speakers include Stuart Bell (the Pike River Royal Commissioner from Queensland) and Rene Aguilar (from the ICMM), along with the UK’s Chief Inspector of Mines, Steve Denton.

“The first International Conference of Safety in Mines Research Institutes (ICSMRI) was held in 1931 in Buxton in the UK, which was then home to the UK’s Safety in Mines Research Establishment (now part of the Health & Safety Laboratory). Since this time the conference has been held every two years (with the exception of the Second World War) at locations around the world. Each conference has been extremely well attended by local and international audiences with the event providing a common forum for academics, researchers, safety experts and industry professionals to discuss and assess the challenges and achievements in the field of mines safety and disaster management.”

A provisional program can be found on www.iom3online.org