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Profile of Workers' Experiences and Preparedness in Responding to Underground Mine Fires.

PB96147848

Publication Date	1995
Personal Author	Vaught, C.; Fotta, B.; Wiehagen, W. J.; Conti, R. S.; Fowkes, R. S.
Page Count	21
Abstract	The purpose of this study was to determine mine workers' state of fire-fighting preparedness and the technology being used to detect and respond to underground coal mine fires. To investigate this problem, 214 underground coal miners were interviewed by U.S. Bureau of Mines researchers. Frequency distributions of workers' responses are presented in this report, along with segments of narrative accounts, to profile miners' fire-fighting capabilities. The data indicated that much variability exists from mine to mine and that there are several important changes operators may undertake in order to make miners better prepared to deal with fire underground: select appropriate sensors, establish and test a warning and communication protocol, construct a system capable of delivering hundreds of gallons of water per minute for sustained periods, institute formal fire preparedness audits, develop case studies of events that occur at an operation to use as teaching and assessment tools, and provide structured practice that can be incorporated into fire drills.
Keywords	Mine fires Coal miners Fire safety Underground mining Mine safety Fire fighting Fire alarm systems Sensors Warning systems Fire extinguishers Fire extinguishing agents Fire suppression Human reactors Fire preparedness
Source Agency	Bureau of Mines
NTIS Subject Category	48A - Mineral Industries
Corporate Authors	Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, PA. Pittsburgh Research Center.
Document Type	Technical Report
Title Note	Rept. of investigations/1996.
NTIS Issue Number	199611

Profile of Workers' Experiences and Preparedness in Responding to Underground Mine Fires.

Profile of Workers' Experiences and Preparedness in Responding to Underground Mine Fires.
PB96147848

Publication Date	1995
Personal Author	Vaught, C.; Fotta, B.; Wiehagen, W. J.; Conti, R. S.; Fowkes, R. S.
Page Count	21
Abstract	The purpose of this study was to determine mine workers' state of fire-fighting preparedness and the technology being used to detect and respond to underground coal mine fires. To investigate this problem, 214 underground coal miners were interviewed by U.S. Bureau of Mines researchers. Frequency distributions of workers' responses are presented in this report, along with segments of narrative accounts, to profile miners' fire-fighting capabilities. The data indicated that much variability exists from mine to mine and that there are several important changes operators may undertake in order to make miners better prepared to deal with fire underground: select appropriate sensors, establish and test a warning and communication protocol, construct a system capable of delivering hundreds of gallons of water per minute for sustained periods, institute formal fire preparedness audits, develop case studies of events that occur at an operation to use as teaching and assessment tools, and provide structured practice that can be incorporated into fire drills.
Keywords	Mine fires Coal miners Fire safety Underground mining Mine safety Fire fighting Fire alarm systems Sensors Warning systems Fire extinguishers Fire extinguishing agents Fire suppression Human reactors Fire preparedness
Source Agency	Bureau of Mines
NTIS Subject Category	48A - Mineral Industries
Corporate Authors	Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, PA. Pittsburgh Research Center.
Document Type	Technical Report
Title Note	Rept. of investigations/1996.
NTIS Issue Number	199611