Paul Medcraft, Australian Business Development Manager for MineARC Systems, the leading supplier of mine refuge chambers, has questioned the negative stance by the Australian coal industry and authorities on the use of refuge chambers in underground coal mines. The stance puts Australia at odds with all the other major coal producing nations, in particular the US and China.
Medcraft comments: “There is no question that given the risk of further explosions and exposure to methane and coal dust, the best solution in the event of any underground emergency in a coal mine is to exit the mine immediately. Where Australian coal differs with the rest of the world, is the issue of what happens if miners simply can’t get out of the mine? With miner’s lives at stake, you’d expect an amount of care and consideration dealing with this question. It’s certainly a valid question as there have been numerous past incidents in coal mining where miners have survived the initial explosion, fire or collapse and been left trapped and/or incapacitated.”
He points out that after the Sago coal mine explosion in 2006 where 13 miners became trapped and later died, intensive research by the US regulatory authorities MSHA and NIOSH determined that refuge chambers were “vital” to ensure that those unable to escape as a result of blocked escape ways, smoke or injuries, had another means of reaching a safe environment and a second chance at survival. In a detailed study involving all major mining incidents in the US between 1970 and 2006, NIOSH determined that “refuge stations (chambers) would have had a positive impact on the outcomes of 12 disasters or 32%. The total number of miners that would have been positively impacted was 83 (19%) of the 429 underground and impacted (miners) by these accidents. A total of 74 (29%) of the 252 fatalities would have been positively impacted and potentially would have survived the accident.” Following the report, the Miner Act was introduced making refuge chambers compulsorily in all underground US coal mines, with all mines given until 2009 to have them installed.
Medcraft comments: “To date Australian coal has vehemently resisted the numerous calls for refuge chambers to be become mandatory at home, no-matter what the evidence presented to them. They are fixed in their mindset. Instead they seem to believe that a combination of SCSR’s, CABA’s and escape ways where available are all that’s required to provide a viable alternative in an emergency. They believe it so strongly that there is not a single long duration refuge chamber in any Australian coal mine – to the best of our knowledge.” And he argues that the belief is common both to the coal producers and the state authorities.
He concludes: “We have refuge chambers that the US and Chinese industry say are essential, US research in particular indicates that had they been available in previous disasters lives would have been saved. We have refuge chamber manufacturers making full use of available technology to protect miners and keep them in communication with the surface for extended periods of time. We have miners and their families who have certainly indicated to us that they believe refuge chambers should be in coal mines. What we don’t have is a forum for discussion. We understand that a review of the use of chambers in coal mines was held in 2010 involving coal producers and the regulatory authorities. What didn’t appear to occur was for someone to ask us what was possible. We would like to see this changed.”