Occupancy Derating for Underground Coal Mine Refuge Alternatives

Details

• Personal Author:
  Yan L ; Yantek, David S.
• Description:
  Federal regulations require refuge alternatives (RAs) to be installed in underground coal mines in the United States. The thermal environment of RAs is a concern because trapped miners could experience heat exhaustion or heat stroke, which is deadly. To prevent exposing RA occupants to heat stress, regulations for RAs in underground coal mines mandate an apparent temperature (AT) limit of 35 degrees C (95 degrees F). To examine occupancy derating to meet the AT limit, researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted RA thermal simulations with validated thermal simulation models using actual mine strata and temperature data. NIOSH examined occupancy derating for a portable 23-person tent-type RA and a portable 6-person rigid RA across a range of initial temperatures for the NIOSH Experimental Mine strata. Occupancy derating was necessary for mine air dry-bulb temperatures as low as 15.6 degrees C (60 degrees F). NIOSH also examined occupancy derating for each RA in five mines across the United States using the measured worst-case temperatures and mine strata of each mine. The results showed occupancy derating would be necessary for the mines with relatively warm initial temperatures. RA manufacturers and mines can use this information to ensure that RAs do not exceed the AT limit. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Coal Coal Mining Heat Stress Disorders Hot Temperature Mining Occupational Health Safety Temperature
• Keywords:
  Air Temperature Coal Mining Heat Stress Refuge Chambers Temperature Regulation Thermal Effects Underground Mines
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISBN:
  9781032551463
• Publisher:
  CRC Press
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  PMRD - Pittsburgh Mining Research Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069517
• Citation:
  Underground Ventilation: Proceedings of the 19th North American Mine Ventilation Symposium (NAMVS 2023), June 17-22, 2023, Rapid City, South Dakota. Tukkaraja P ed. London: CRC Press, 2023 Sep; :559-566
• Editor(s):
  Tukkaraja P
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Underground Ventilation: Proceedings of the 19th North American Mine Ventilation Symposium (NAMVS 2023), June 17-22, 2023, Rapid City, South Dakota
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2eb2d5d8b7dcf9f1082d1583473adf44411ab4990dc5bc4673c0589ceb3ce9fccc8ad588c84af9ff6552ad0afaf17151db4611ddaeeedf5f0395399e017165de
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/215654/cdc_215654_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 474.91 KB ]