Advanced Mine Rescue Skills Training Using Multiple Modalities

Details

• Personal Author:
  Ferriter R ; Reiher M
• Description:
  Throughout the history of mining, mine emergencies have caused the loss of hundreds of miners, destruction of property, physical and psychological upheaval and enormous financial burden. These mine emergencies can occur at any time and from a number of causes. While we cannot prevent all mining disasters, we can, through well designed mine emergency preparedness, mitigate or minimize their effects. Therefore, we believe that our national interests are best served by having well-trained first responders available for quick response to emergency situations in underground mines. According to training requirements in 30 CFR §49, mine rescue teams are required to participate in advanced mine rescue training as outlined in MSHA guidance documents. "We ask mine rescue teams to respond to some of our nation's most difficult emergency situations. We owe them the best training, equipment and support to help them be successful and to stay safe." - Joseph A. Main, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health, 2016 National Mine Rescue Competition. To meet these training needs, three mine rescue training organizations have formed a consortium with an objective to offer advanced skills training, including an annual contest designed to evaluate the performance of those skills. The organizations include the Mining Technology and Training Center (MTTC), the Kentucky Coal Academy and the Colorado School of Mines (Mines). The advantages of this consortium are the offering of advanced mine rescue training that is consistent with the objectives of the defined mine rescue training that is conducted by professional trainers and the ability to service multi-geographical areas within the United States. Additionally, Mines works in collaboration with the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (CO DRMS) to provide mine rescue contests for industry and collegiate mine rescue teams from a multi-state area. Since 2009, Mines has offered mine rescue training that focused on developing technical rescue skills and decision-making and communication skills during mine rescue exercises utilizing a command center structure. To date, 81 industry mine rescue teams and 13 collegiate mine rescue teams have participated in training that was supported by these grants. Mine rescue team members and their trainers have provided highly positive comments regarding the training they received. Mines is the only organization in the United States offering mine rescue training that utilizes computer simulations of mine emergencies with a command center. The overall objectives of this proposed project are: (1) To provide high-quality and specialized training to mine rescue teams that focuses on (a) Improving advanced rescue skills, (b) Improving technical rescue skills needed to respond to serious accidents that often result in single or multiple casualties, and (c) Enhancing communication/decision-making skills of the tram and the staff of the command center during mine emergencies; and (2) To further enhance the mine rescue simulator software. The first objective will be met by offering mine rescue training exercises using computer simulations, field exercises and/or in-mine exercises conducted at the Edgar Experimental Mine; offering training as a combination of classroom and hands-on activities that targets specific advanced technical rescue skills. The second objective will be accomplished by enhancing the simulation software by building on current capabilities and developing additional capabilities such as incorporating ventilation capabilities to the coal model. Mines plans to train at least fifteen (15) to twenty (20) mine rescue teams during the grant period. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Coal Coal Mining Communication Decision Making Disaster Planning Emergencies Mining Occupational Health Safety Software Staff Development

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• Keywords:
  Coal Mining Communication Research Computer Software Decision Making Emergency Equipment Emergency Preparedness Mine Disasters Mine Escapes Mining Industry Rescue Measures Rescue Technology Simulation Methods Training Underground Mines Underground Mining

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• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement ; Grant
• Genre:
  Final Cooperative Agreement Report
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; OSHA Region 8
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-41
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20052244
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2018-101417
• Citation:
  Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, U60-OH-010017, 2016 Aug; :1-41
• Contact Point Address:
  Robert Ferriter, PE, Department of Mining Engineering, Energy, Mining and Construction Industry Safety Program, Colorado School of Mines (Mines), 1500 Illinois Street, Golden, CO 80401-1887
• Email:
  rferrite@mines.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2016
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining
• Performing Organization:
  Colorado School of Mines, Golden
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20100901
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20260831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:655f64585e2abf0633735e5a37e466b242ed879efe9de5a95437fc63f7d20d8d5e3f89925a9f9dec9f261efbc496ec0df74182a5279bad449e0a6a1fece6b4e3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/218693/cdc_218693_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.52 MB ]