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The MINER Act of 2006 and Related NIOSH Activities |
Escapeways |
Back to The MINER Act of 2006 and Related NIOSH Activities
Overview
For years, mine operators, federal and state mine safety agencies, and researchers have looked at numerous aspects of mine emergency response. Since the beginning of 2006, three major incidents occurred at underground coal mines in the United States resulting in worker fatalities. These incidents raised a number of issues about mine emergency response including miners’ ability to identify and follow designated escapeways.
As part of a research effort to assess the effectiveness of evacuation training for miners, investigators have been assessing various technologies to guide miners through smoke-filled mine escapeways. These technologies include directional lifelines, strobe lights, high-intensity LED lights, and LED flares. Directional lifelines proved to be the highest rated escapeway guidance technology. Lifelines are now required to be installed in escapeways in all underground coal mines. Strobe lights and LED lights were also highly rated by miners who evaluated these technologies in dense smoke. Further research is planned to 1) make these lighting devices intrinsically safe for use in escapeways and 2) integrate them into the larger mine emergency warning system to permit remote activation in an emergency.
NIOSH Projects and Activities
References
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CO Dispersion from a Coal Fire in a Mine Entry (PDF, 338 KB)
Edwards-JC; Franks-RA; Friel-GF; Yuan-L | Proceedings of the 11th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation Symposium, University Park, Pennsylvania, June 5-7, 2006. Mutmansky JM, Ramani RV. eds., London, U.K.: Taylor & Francis Group, 2006 Jun; :511-517 |
Emerging Technologies: Aiding Responders in Mine Emergences and During the Escape From Smoke-Filled Passageways (PDF, 185 KB)
Conti-RS | Proc Northwest Mining Association 107th Annual Meeting, Exposition and Short Courses (December 3-7, 2001; Spokane, WA); :14 pp |
Fire-Generated Smoke Rollback Through Crosscut from Return to Intake - Experimental and CFD Study (PDF, 1589 KB)
Friel-GF; Yuan-L; Edwards-JC; Franks-RA | Proceedings of the 11th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation Symposium, University Park, Pennsylvania, June 5-7, 2006. Mutmansky JM, Ramani RV. eds., London, U.K.: Taylor & Francis Group, 2006 Jun; :483-489 |
Fire Response Preparedness for Underground Mines (PDF, 2438 KB)
Conti-RS, Chasko-LL, Wiehagen-WJ, Lazzara-CP | Pittsburgh, PA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2006-105, NIOSH IC 9481, 2005; :1-19 |
Mine Rescue and Response (PDF, 1018 KB)
Conti-RS | Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Coal Research - Coal the Future (Sep 12-15, 2000; Sandton, Republic of South Africa). Symposium Series S26, International Committee for Coal Research, Washington, DC; :127-136 |
Responders To Underground Mine Fires (PDF, 834 KB)
Conti-RS | Proceedings of the 32nd Annual Conference of the Institute on Mining Health, Safety and Research (Aug 5-7, 2001; Salt Lake City, UT), University of Utah; :111-121 |
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