Mine Safety Flashcards

Flashcards for reviewing mine safety concepts and regulations.

Causes of Unsafe Acts

Inadequate training or perception of risk, hasty decisions, anger or ill temper, indifference, distractions, curiosity, poor work habits, overconfidence, lack of planning

Responsibilities of Managers

Ensure safe engineering and design, educate and train employees, provide safety systems and equipment, maintain the expectation of safe work, integrate aspects into operation, conduct examinations, know and follow mine plan

Common Mistakes by Foremen

Performing non-supervisory work, taking unnecessary risks, making quick decisions without thinking about the consequences.

Sources of Mining Accidents

88% human factors, 10% mechanical failure, 2% beyond human control.

Human Factors in Mining Accidents

Workers not knowing or not following correct job procedures or engaging in unsafe acts

Prevention of Mechanical Failures

Examinations, inspections and tests of equipment and proper tools.

Methods to Identify Hazards

Physical inspections, incident analyses, task review, Job Safety Analysis (JSA), audits, worker suggestions, review of past citations, hazard identifying equipment.

Purpose of Accident Analysis

Determine causes of accidents, take steps to prevent recurrence, train miners accordingly, provide information to others.

Incident Analysis Procedures

Define the scope of the analysis, select analysts, preliminary briefing & inspection of accident site, interviews, develop and test hypotheses, analyze data and determine cause(s), prepare report.

Internal Incident Analysis Team

Supervisor, management, safety.

External Incident Analysis Team

MSHA or OSHA, state regulatory.

Report Components for Incident Analysis

Corrective actions, institute new procedures, eliminate Hazards, train employees

Equipment or Facility Incident Analysis Checklist Considerations

Design or Installation, Improper use, Inadequate, Insufficient

People Indirectly Involved Incident Analysis Checklist Considerations

Unsafe procedures or acts, Lack of safety awareness, proper training, experience

Operating Conditions Incident Analysis Checklist Considerations

Repetitive or non-repetitive operations, Environmental issues, Employee created unsafe conditions, Work environment unsafe conditions

People Directly Involved Incident Analysis Checklist Considerations

Unsafe work procedures, Lack of safety awareness or proper training, Lack of experience or judgement

Procedures Incident Analysis Checklist Considerations

Inadequate for the job, Outdated equipment

Job Safety Analysis (JSA)

Procedure for analyzing any job to determine potential hazards associated with and develop safe work procedures for each step of the job.

Common Uses of JSA

Set performance standards, Provide task training, Conduct Job Safety Observations, Conduct incident analyses, Integrate safety into production and maintenance functions, Help employees become more safety conscious

Developing a JSA (Steps 1-5)

Select a job to analyze, Divide jobs into sequential steps, Describe the action of each step, Identify hazards associated with each step, Record and number potential hazards or actions by using abbreviations

Developing a JSA (Steps 6-9)

For each potential hazard, determine how the worker should perform each step safely, specify safe operating procedures for each step, Compile information, Train workers

SB abbreviation

Struck by.

CBy abbreviation

Contacted by.

SA abbreviation

Struck against

CW abbreviation

Contact With.

CBe abbreviation

Caught between.

CO abbreviation

Caught on.

FB abbreviation

Fall to below.

O abbreviation

Overexertion

FS abbreviation

Fall-same-level

E abbreviation

Exposure

CI abbreviation

Caught in.

Energy Sources/Hazardous Materials

Electricity, Chemicals, Heat/Cold, Radiation, Gases or Fumes, Water or Steam, Poor Air.

Struck By Hazards

Moving or flying objects, Falling material

Strike Against Hazards

Stationary or moving objects, Protruding objects, Sharp or jagged edges

Caught In, On, or Between Hazards

Pinch points, Protruding objects, Moving or stationary objects

Fall Hazards

To same level, To lower level

Overexertion Hazards

Lifting, Pulling, Pushing

Environmental Change Examples

Tools, equipment, materials, lighting, weather, work area layout.

Job Frequency Reduction Examples

Maintenance or service jobs.

Protective Apparel Examples

Safety shoes, goggles, safety belts, gloves, safety glasses, respirators.

Job Procedures Examples

What could go wrong, what are the employee responsibilities.

Accountability (Practices 1-3)

Make following safe work practices part of the performance evaluation, Set safety goals, Discipline employees who behave in unsafe ways

Accountability (Practices 4-5)

Establish a clear system for reporting hazards, injuries, illnesses or close calls, Recognize employees who contribute to keeping the workplace safe and healthy.

Job Safety Observation

Procedure in which a qualified person watches a worker perform all the steps of a particular job to determine that worker’s competence when performing each step.

Benefits of Job Safety Observations (Practices 1-3)

Opportunity to interact with employees, Allows determination of strengths and weaknesses of employees work knowledge, Provides an opportunity for correction of improper or unsafe acts…

Benefits of Job Safety Observations (Practices 4-6)

Provide feedback to managers regarding quality of training and supervision, Reinforces miners’ perception of management commitment to a safety culture, Regular data collection means better prediction of future events

Job Safety Observations (Steps 1-4)

Designate a person to conduct the observation, Organize a checklist, Schedule the time, Observe the employee while he is performing each step of his given task

Job Safety Observations (Steps 5-8)

Make notes of observations regarding correct and incorrect performance, Ask questions, include conversation in the observation, Determine level of employee’s knowledge of the job, Compliment correct actions and instruct regarding incorrect actions,

Job Safety Observations (Step 9)

Record finds/report to stakeholders

MSHA-Required Notifications (Practices 1-5)

Death, Life-Threatening injury, Entrapment, Unplanned inundation, Ignition or explosion of gas or dust

MSHA-Required Notifications (Practices 6-10)

Unplanned fire, Unplanned explosion, Unplanned roof fall, Disruption of regular mining activity for more than 1 hour, Unstable conditions that require emergency action

Team Captain

Responsible for leadership and command; is first to enter; responsible verifying safety of ground conditions; responsible for checking status of breathing apparatuses of team

Gas Person

Carries the team’s multi-gas meters; responsible for measuring the gases present; has a working knowledge of mine gases and knows explosive limits of the gases

Map Person

Documents what is found, where it is, condition and time of find and relays it to co- captain or FAB

Medic

Responsible for patient assessment, care, and evacuation; assumes primary responsibility for the team’s operations after the team takes on a patient and takes charge when the team is working on a patient. Qualified at the level of “Emergency Medical Responder”

Co-Captain

Responsible for communication to FAB, oversees the action of the team as a backup for the captain.

Fresh Air Base

Members are responsible for communicating with the team, maintaining simultaneous mapping, communication link between team and Command Center, acts in an oversight role – thinking ahead and planning

Technician (Bench Person)

Responsible for maintaining the operational readiness of the team’s equipment and repairing damaged equipment.

Command Post/Command Center

The hub of rescue and recovery operations. Group is generally composed of mine management, federal and state officials, union representatives

Team Staging Area

Where teams wait for assignment; may be located close to entry of mine if immediate response is anticipated.

Team Quarters

Sleeping quarters and place to eat for all personnel at the mine

Laboratory

Had suitable air-analysis equipment. MSHA owns and maintains several portable units.

Medical Facilities

Definition of needed facilities depends on the magnitude of the event.

Incident Commander Safety Zones

Based on a set of three zones – hot, warm, cold.

Hot Zone

Portion of the area actually affected by the event or may be impacted rapidly. Full set of PPE for hazard.

Warm Zone

Transition location between hazard and relatively safe area. This is where teams stage and where medical treatment is to happen. Bare minimum PPE

Cold Zone

Has minimal danger. The ICP, team rehab and equipment service area, and transport staging. Need basic PPE.

Exploration Briefing and Reconnaissance

Status of the incident, its objectives, to whom they report, and other goals

Fresh Air Base (FAB) Set Up and Location

Sometimes the FAB will remain on the surface throughout the operation, other times it may be established underground

Barefaced Exploration

Performing initial exploration without the use of a self-contained breathing apparatus.

Focusing a search

Define a set of objectives before searching

Systematic Exploration

Prevents wasted time, prevents the need for backtracking

Class A Fires

Involve ordinary combustible materials such as wood, plastics, paper, and cloth

Class B Fires

Involve flammable or combustible liquids such as gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, and grease.

Class C Fires

Electrical fires

Class D Fires

Involve combustible metals such as magnesium titanium, zirconium, sodium, and potassium

Hazards of Direct Firefighting

Electrical shock, Toxic or Asphyxiating Gases, Oxygen Deficiency, Explosive Gases Heat, Smoke, and Steam

Indirect Firefighting Methods

Filling or sealing; Sealing underground

Leaky feeder system

Radio antenna cable that runs through the mine, a power station, amplifiers, and radios

Refuge Chambers

Designed to be an alternative to escape for miners too deep or isolated in the mine.

Assessing Conditions During Mine Recovery

Condition of ventilation controls, Condition of fans and tubing, Gas levels, Ground conditions, Condition of water, air, power, and phone lines, Evidence of flooding, Presence of smoldering debris or hot spots

Rescue Team Medical Exclusion Criteria

Open wounds, sores, rashes, burns, recent injury, Altered mental status, Recent illness (within 72 hours), New medication (within one week), Alcohol intake within past 6 hours, Any other substantial medical condition

Four Major Components of BBS

Observations, Checklists, Feedback, Goals

Title 30 CFR Part 75

Underground Coal

Title 30 CFR Part 77

Surface Coal

Title 30 CFR Part 56

Surface Metal/NonMetal

Title 30 CFR Part 57

Underground M/NM

Mine Phones:

conduct a message to all phone systems at

once. During a disaster these phones may be severed. But

each one should be tested for possible response by trapped

miners.

Through the earth Communication system:

Low-frequency radio waves that penetrate through solid rock (around 1500-2000 ft) from the surface to contact those underground. Both voice and text are possible. Usually found in refugee chambers.

Searching in Open Air:

Search for survivors, check ground conditions, check gas conditions, looking for hazards, examine clues.

Searching in Smoke:

perform a count off, connect the Team line, advance in formation, continue until team line is tightened, check ground conditions

Searching Water:

similar to search in smoke, check for electrical current, check gases, probe the floor. Water can obscure many hazard