Improvement and Lessons in Mining Industry

How are governments laying down the law to ensure health and safety in the mining industry? Joseph A. Main, Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), talks to Sarah Blackman about the US Department's policies and what lessons his fellow politicians have learned from recent global mining disasters. We've heard from several global mining conglomerates about how they are implementing important strategies into their sites to ensure their staff is protected from harm. Over the years they have acquired modern technologies and equipment to prepare workers for potentially dangerous situations and introduced multi-gas monitors, hazard detections systems and intelligent mine management software to decrease the risk of a life threatening event.

But, what are governments doing to improve health and safety in the mining industry? US mining spokesman Joseph A. Main explains how his government is guiding workforces to prevent future mining disasters and provides details on the policies being enforced in the country to make sure miners are held accountable for violating critical safety standards. The history of mine emergencies has taught us that we can never be too prepared to respond to these life-threatening events. Despite the development of modern rescue equipment and techniques, gaps still remain that can hamper or harm a successful mine rescue effort. The Pike River mine disaster consisted of a series of four mine explosions. There has been much speculation about the cause of these explosions ranging from pumps, cables, collapse, lack of methane drainage and so on.

We will not know for sure until the mine investigation concludes and a final report is published. However, we know communications and power were knocked out. Mine operators must design mines to prevent these types of events, conduct risk assessments to identify hazards and make critical systems more resilient and redundant. The Copiapó mining accident in Chile involved the collapse of the one and only mine entry. The mine was located in a very remote area. Drillers and drilling resources had to come from great distances, some from the United States. A mine rescue capsule had to be fabricated in country to implement the escape. Lesson learned - mining companies must maintain at least two escape ways at all times (a requirement in the US). Drilling technology needs to be identified before an incident occurs and arrangements with drillers should be made in advance. Pre-surveying, matching important locations underground with markers on the surface, is essential.

During the last five years, mine safety has improved through, among other things, the implementation of the MINER Act, the use of impact inspections to target problem mines, a revamped pattern of violations programme and the Rules to Live By initiative. In fact, according to preliminary data, 37 miners died in work-related accidents at the nation's mines in 2011, the year with the second-lowest number of mining deaths since statistics were first recorded. MSHA places a major emphasis on miner training and we have awarded more than $3m in Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety Grants since 2007. These grants are specifically aimed at providing the funding for education and training programmes to better identify, avoid and prevent unsafe working conditions in and around mines when manufacturing and other mining machines such as equipment.