Overviews

A Study of First Moments in Underground Mine Emergency Response (PDF, 153 KB, 2010-01)
Researchers conducted focus groups and interviews on what happens in the first crucial moments of a mine emergency. Results indicated that there were common themes in initial response, which included the importance of mine emergency planning and training, quantity and quality of communication providing information for decision-making, leadership and trust, plus individual personal issues.

History

A Review of NIOSH and U.S. Bureau of Mines Research to Improve Miners' Health and Safety Training (PDF, 181 KB, 2010)
This paper reviews NIOSH and US Bureau of Mines research to improve miners' health and safety training. This paper describes how miners' safety and health training has improved since the beginning of the program, and identifies areas where further improvements are needed.

Hazards

Gas and Fume Generation at the Blast Site (PDF, 4116 KB, 2011)
Gases and fumes are generated as a result of explosives detonation at a blast site. This chapter discusses only those gases produced by the detonation of commercial explosives.

Measurement & analysis

Research and Evaluation Methods For Measuring Nonroutine Mine Health and Safety Skills: Bibliography (PDF, 4637 KB, 1988-06)
A comprehensive review of published research was carried out to identify methods for teaching and assessing critical but nonroutine skills for coping with emergency situations.

Case studies

The Application of Major Hazard Risk Assessment (MHRA) to Eliminate Multiple Fatality Occurrences in the U.S. Minerals Industry (PDF, 1893 KB, 2008-10)
This NIOSH pilot project demonstrated that US mines have the capability to successfully implement an MHRA and that the basic requirement for a successful MHRA is the desire to become more proactive in reducing risks associated with events that can cause multiple fatalities.

Administrative controls

The Communication Triangle: Elements of an Effective Warning Message (PDF, 333 KB, 2007-01)
A communication protocol was developed for use during mine emergencies.

Development of a Supervisory and Management Training Program for the Underground Coal Mining Industry (PDF, 1609 KB, 1983-05)
This report describes a project in which Development of a Supervisory and Management Training Program for the Underground Coal mining Industry was developed and evaluated.

Job Training Analysis: A Process for Quickly Developing a Roadmap for Teaching and Evaluating Job Skills (PDF, 927 KB, 2006-08)
This report describes a process called job training analysis (JTA) for quickly developing information that is useful for skills training. Its main use is to structure skills training at the jobsite by identifying job duties, tasks, and steps and the reasons why those job components are important. The outcome of the process is a worksheet - a training outline based on the knowledge and expertise of experienced workers. Time invested in developing a JTA will save significantly more time when it is used appropriately by skilled trainers.

Strategies for Improving Miners' Training (PDF, 492 KB, 2002-09)
This NIOSH Information Circular presents basic principles for teaching adults and provides examples of how these principles can be used to develop and implement effective training for miners.

Training packages

Coaching Skills for On-the-Job Trainers (PDF, 1702 KB, 2005)
The document contains the printed material that is part of the training package Coaching Skills for On-The-Job Trainers. It describes how to develop or manage an on-the-job training program so that information is passed on from trainer/coach to trainee efficiently and effectively.

Roof Bolting Machine Operators Skills Training for a Walk-Thru Roof Bolter: Trainer's Guide (PDF, 1271 KB, 2006-08)
This trainer's guide is designed as a reference manual. The purpose is to offer information and examples to skills trainers to assist them in structuring training for new operators of Walk-Thru roof bolting machines. Trainers can use this manual as a resource for helping trainees learn, understand, and apply knowledge and skills.

When Do You Take Refuge?: Decisionmaking During Mine Emergency Escape Instructor´s Guide and Lesson Plans (PDF, 4203 KB, 2011)
This training will expose trainees to the types of decisions that they may need to make during a mine emergency escape and stimulate group discussion about when and why to use a refuge alternative. Having these discussions now will prepare miners for emergency situations that may occur later. This material has been designed for underground coal miners at all skill levels. Although it was designed for coal miners, it may be used for training miners at all types of underground operations that have added refuge alternatives.

Coaching Skills for On-The-Job Trainers
The purpose of this train-the-trainer package is to describe how to develop or manage an on-the-job training program so that information is passed on from the trainer/coach to the trainee efficiently and effectively. Efficient means the best use of time and resources of all those involved in the training process, and effective means that the trainee truly learns the skills and internalizes the knowledge needed to perform the job well. NIOSH Pub. No. 2005-146: Coaching Skills for On-the-Job Trainers (PDF, 1702 KB, 2005-08) is this same training package formatted as a single document.

Training exercises

Man Mountain´s Refuge: Refuge Chamber Training Instructor´s Guide and Trainee´s Problem Book (PDF, 646 KB, 2011)
This instructor´s guide is designed for use by instructors who train mine employees on how and when to use a mine refuge chamber, and aids the instructor in reinforcing the critical decisions that have to be made during a mining emergency.

Practical Demonstrations of Ergonomic Principles (PDF, 3326 KB, 2011)
This document consists of a series of demonstrations designed to complement training on ergonomic principles.

Radio 101: Operating Two-Way Radios Every Day and in Emergencies: Instructor's Guide (PDF, 960 KB, 2011)
This Instructor's Guide is part of a program to train miners in the use of two-way radio communication in the mines.

Refuge Chamber Training Products and Guidance (HTM, 15 KB, 2010)
NIOSH is developing a suite of refuge chamber training packages to help instructors teach miners what alternatives to consider when deciding whether to enter a refuge chamber, what to expect physiologically and psychologically when seeking shelter in a refuge chamber and how to operate a refuge chamber.

Harry's Hard Choices: Mine Refuge Chamber Training
This paper-and-pencil simulation is an interactive story that presents a scenario in which Harry Hamilton, a section foreman on a longwall setup section, must decide what to do when he learns there is a fire in his mine. As time goes on, Harry must face a series of choices about how best to increase his and his crew's chances for survival. The story is taken in part from real-life incidents.

Underground Coal Mine Map Reading Training
This training includes three components for teaching and testing map reading skills. The first, Map Reading Basics (MRB), covers terminology and concepts needed to read and understand an underground coal mine map. An opportunity to practice using those skills while navigating through a simulated mine is provided in the second part, Mine Navigation Challenge (MNC). These two parts can be used together or separately according to trainee needs. Trainees can get additional practice by going on a scavenger hunt in the simulated mine.

How to Operate a Refuge Chamber: a Quick Start Guide
This training tool is used to teach miners how to operate refuge chambers based on the Quick Start Guides. It is intended to be used as a template and guide for mine instructors to use in creating their own customized presentations that reflect the refuge alternatives being used at their mines.

Emergency Escape and Refuge Alternatives
This training tool is used to teach miners about refuge alternatives (both inby and outby). Refuge alternatives are a technology that may be new to miners. This training is intended to provide miners with an introduction to the refuge alternatives. This presentation can be used as-is, or it can be customized to reflect the specific policies and refuge alternatives of the mine and requirements that may be unique to a specific state.

Training

Guidelines for Instructional Materials on Refuge Chamber Setup, Use, and Maintenance (PDF, 416 KB, 2009-07)
NIOSH has created this document with suggestions for developing manuals and educational materials concerning refuge chambers for miners.

New Simulated Gas Detector Offers Realistic Training for Mine Rescue Teams (PDF, 147 KB, 2010)
This research investigation of a multi-gas simulated gas monitor system (GMS) that is a hands-on skills training designed to assist mine rescue team members or miners learn about gas detection, understand the significance of gas concentrations, and encourage subsequent decision-making actions by team members. The GMS technology was used by mine rescue teams instead of placards.

Recommendations for Refuge Chamber Operations Training (PDF, 4518 KB, 2011)
This publication provides recommendations for training miners in how to operate a refuge chamber. It is organized into three sections. The first section details four refuge chamber training sessions that were observed by NIOSH researchers in order to determine the topics mine trainers were covering in their first efforts at refuge chamber training. The second section presents a guide for trainers which details the most important content to include in refuge chamber training and provides tips on teaching techniques and activities that may increase the effectiveness of the training. The third section presents a condensed version of the most important training content, specifically formatted for miners.

Technology News 537 - NIOSH Develops New Mine Refuge Chamber Training (PDF, 182 KB, 2009-11)
NIOSH has been performing research to provide effective training on refuge chambers for underground coal miners.

Working in the Classroom - A Vision of Miner Training in the 21st Century (PDF, 1261 KB, 2008)
This article discusses how narrative-based training has evolved and is likely to continue changing in the future using the Underground Coal Mine Map Reading Training (UCMMRT) developed by NIOSH.

Videos

Technology News 535 - NIOSH Releases New Educational Video: Escape from Farmington No. 9: An Oral History (PDF, 197 KB, 2009-05)
Researchers with NIOSH have developed a training module to educate both new, inexperienced miners as well as veterans on important issues related to self-rescue and escape procedures.

Training theory & methodology

The Concept of Degraded Images Applied to Hazard Recognition Training in Mining for Reduction of Lost-Time Injuries (PDF, 427 KB, 2003)
This paper discusses the application of a training intervention that uses degraded images for improving the hazard recognition skills of miners.

Effective Hazard Recognition Training using a Latent-Image, Three-Dimensional Slide Simulation Exercise (PDF, 11171 KB, 1995)
The U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) conducted experiments to determine if training using a latent-image, three-dimensional (3-D) slide simulation exercise improved miners' ability to recognize roof and rib hazards. The effectiveness of this innovative type of classroom training was investigated by measuring workers' performance on a hazard recognition task. The study was unique in that hazard recognition skills were assessed in the workplace using actual coal mine roof and rib hazards. Results showed that training with a latent-image, 3-D slide simulation exercise significantly improved each subject's performance on the in-mine hazard recognition task. Further, the USBM researchers concluded that transfer of learning from the classroom to the workplace occurred.

The Evolving Mining Workforce: Training Issues (PDF, 310 KB, 2001-08)
A major concern in the mining industry today is how to train the present aging workforce plus the expected influx of new and less experienced miners and mine operators as the cohort of older workers retire.

Getting Through to Greenhorns: Do Old Training Styles Work with New Miners? (PDF, 492 KB, 2002-09)
This paper discusses the training needs of the younger generation of inexperienced workers who have just entered or are soon to enter the mines. Currently, many trainers are of the so-called Baby Boom generation. Can these different age groups learn to communicate across the generation gap?

Issues for Training an Evolving Emergency Management Workforce: A View from the U.S. Mining Community (PDF, 740 KB, 2002-05)
This paper reviews research from the U.S. mining community to define issues relevant to an evolving national and international workforce and relate them to the emergency response population.

Principles of Adult Learning: Application for Mine Trainers (PDF, 492 KB, 2002-09)
Discusses the principals of adult learning based on research in education and psychology, and stresses the importance of taking a systems approach to training.

Principles of Adult Learning: Tips for Trainers (HTM, 20 KB, 2004-12)
It is important to understand and integrate principles of adult learning in training the nation's miners. Attention must be given to the miner population and how individuals learn and respond to information.

Releasing the Energy of Workers to Create a Safer Workplace: The Value of Using Mentors to Enhance Safety Training (PDF, 492 KB, 2002-09)
The mentor/learner model is a time-honored approach to teaching, including within the mining industry. Building upon concepts in current theories of adult education, this paper highlights the unique advantages of using mentoring as a teaching method that can make the educational experience both interesting and effective.

Safety and Health Training for an Evolving Workforce: An Overview From the Mining Industry (PDF, 207 KB, 2004-07)
Safety and health professionals recognize that training is a critical element of any effective safety and health program. Of present major concern in the mining industry is how to provide appropriate training for an aging workforce and concurrently develop training for the expected influx of new and less experienced miners as older workers retire.

Teaching Miners: Breaking the Barriers to Learning (PDF, 286 KB, 2003-10)
Miners, like many skilled blue-collar workers, are not traditional learners. They have not always been successful in classroom-type settings, preferring to learn on the job in a hands-on environment.

Virtual Reality in Mine Training (PDF, 1023 KB, 2007-02)
The use of virtual reality (VR) technologies to train miners is an evolving area in research and development. In July 2006, representatives of 14 international organizations met to discuss current VR-related efforts and explore ways to employ VR in the future. This paper gives an overview of the various approaches presented at the meeting and discusses directions for future implementation.

Training design & evaluation

Communicating the Same Message with Different Media: An Example from Hearing Loss Prevention (PDF, 492 KB, 2002-09)
Multiple versions of an educational message can reach a diverse population more effectively than a single version. For instance, some workers are trained in formal classrooms while others are self-taught. This paper will describe additional advantages and disadvantages of different delivery systems and will show what considerations are helpful in designing content that can be readily adapted to alternate presentations.

Considerations in Training On-the-Job Trainers (PDF, 492 KB, 2002-09)
On-the-job training (OJT) is a very common method of teaching job skills. Health, safety, and operational skills can be connected through training. Haul truck operator training is used to illustrate some of the concepts discussed in this paper.

Developing Toolbox Training Materials for Mining (PDF, 492 KB, 2002-09)
Toolbox training is often described as short, informal training conducted at a worksite by technically competent persons for the benefit of a work team. The key feature of toolbox training is the focus on a work team and what is important to that group in its workplace.

Development of NIOSH Hard-Rock Safety Training Materials (PDF, 188 KB, 2001-02)
A description of the development process and results of safety training projects.

Enhanced Fire Escape Training for Mine Workers Using Virtual Reality Simulation (PDF, 627 KB, 2009-11)
This paper answers the following research question: Can a VR system be used in a mine safety training environment to teach evacuation procedures, provide simulated experience, and measure performance?

Expectations Versus Experience: Training Lessons Based Upon Miners' Difficulties when Using Emergency Breathing Apparatus (PDF, 322 KB, 2004)
A field test of the NIOSH-developed training product "I Can't Get Enough Air" was conducted to determine if it led to improvements in miner's scores on a true/false test of their SCSR's functional capabilities and proper usage.

Feeding the Multitudes - How to Connect With Customers (PDF, 222 KB, 2001-02)
A discussion of existing minerals education activities and tips for developing successful programs.

Guidelines for the Development of a New Miner Training Curriculum (PDF, 291 KB, 2008-01)
This report is intended to help mine safety trainers better prepare to teach the influx of new underground coal miners who are entering the industry by identifying two different approaches to instruction and discussing the ways they may affect how well prepared new hires are to deal with a dynamic and hazardous workplace.

Innovative Alternatives to Traditional Classroom Health and Safety Training (PDF, 492 KB, 2002-09)
After thoroughly covering the health and safety training subjects required under Title 30, Part 48, of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), mine operators often find themselves with little or no time left in the class schedule for other important topics. This paper discusses a technique developed in partnership with RAG Twentymile Coal Co., Oak Creek, CO, for incorporating employee participation at all levels in fire prevention and safe equipment operation training outside of traditional classrooms.

An Overview of the Evaluation Process for Mine Trainers (PDF, 492 KB, 2002-09)
Interest in training evaluation in the mining industry was piqued with the promulgation of Title 30, Part 46, of the Code of Federal Regulations. Under Part 46.3, a training plan is considered to be approved if it contains certain information, including "the evaluation procedures used to determine the effectiveness of training." The training evaluation worksheet at the end of this paper can be used to guide evaluation planning.

Tell Me A Story... Using Stories to Improve Occupational Safety Training (PDF, 121 KB, 2007)
This paper discusses the social and cultural power of stories, and how they have been used to develop training for skilled blue-collar workers.

Tell Me a Story: Using Narrative to Teach Safety to Skilled Blue-Collar Workers (PDF, 229 KB, 2003-03)
A discussion of how training videos created to get safety messages to miners were developed, how "master miners" and story lines were chosen, and how the resulting videos have been received in the mining industry.

Training Evaluation Tips (HTM, 44 KB, 2004-12)
Evaluation of training within work settings can assist you in learning more about your organization. It is important to understand the purpose of your evaluation before planning it and choosing methods to do it.

Underground Mine Refuge Chamber Expectations Training: Program Development and Evaluation (PDF, 1189 KB, 2011)
Refuge chambers are new devices for underground coal mines that provide approximately 96 h of breathable air, water, food, and supplies in the event of an emergency where miners are unable to escape. Researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) developed a training program to prepare miners for what to expect psychologically and physiologically inside of a refuge chamber. The field tests of this training revealed that it was received very positively by miners and helped impart realistic views about the physical discomforts and psychological stresses of being inside a refuge chamber.

Use of Simulation Exercises for Safety Training in the U.S. Mining Industry (PDF, 443 KB, 2001-09)
This study reports the results of a survey of organizations that used problem-solving simulation exercises to support mine health and safety training. Recommendations are offered for the continuation and expansion of simulation exercises as one method for occupational health and safety training.