The Road to Zero: The 50-Year Effort to Eliminate Roof Fall Fatalities from US Underground Coal Mines

IF 1.5 4区 工程技术 Q3 METALLURGY & METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING
Christopher Mark
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Abstract

Six decades ago, the most dangerous job in the USA was mining coal underground. Roof falls were responsible for half of the deaths, killing about 100 miners every year. Fast forward to 2016 and zero roof fall fatalities. Just three miners were killed by roof falls during the following 6 years. How did the mining community achieve this historic goal? This paper starts by analyzing the roof fall fatalities in 1968, categorizing them by their fundamental cause. Then, it shows how each type of roof fall was reduced over time, using snapshots of the fatalities occurring in subsequent decades. Along the way, it evaluates the influence of the regulatory environment, changing mining methods, and better ground control technology. The study found that in 1968 more than half of roof fall fatalities at large mines were attributable to an inadequate safety culture. The immediate effect of the 1969 Coal Mine Health and Safety Act was to reduce the riskiest activities, like needlessly going under unsupported roof. Other hazards, like large roof falls, required technological developments before they were brought under control. Roof Control Plans, which the US Bureau of Mines had been advocating since the 1920s, played a significant role throughout the process.

Abstract Image

零死亡之路:美国地下煤矿消除屋顶坠落死亡事故的 50 年努力
六十年前,美国最危险的工作是在地下采煤。每年约有 100 名矿工死于屋顶坠落,占死亡人数的一半。时至 2016 年,屋顶坠落造成的死亡人数为零。在随后的 6 年中,仅有 3 名矿工死于屋顶坠落。矿业界是如何实现这一历史性目标的?本文首先分析了1968年的屋顶坠落死亡事故,并根据其根本原因进行了分类。然后,利用随后几十年发生的死亡事故快照,说明每种类型的屋顶坠落事故是如何随着时间的推移而减少的。研究还评估了监管环境、采矿方法的变化以及更好的地面控制技术的影响。研究发现,1968 年,大型煤矿半数以上的顶板坠落死亡事故是由于安全文化不足造成的。1969 年《煤矿健康与安全法》的直接效果是减少了最危险的活动,如不必要地进入无支撑顶板。而其他一些危险活动,例如大面积的顶板坠落,在得到控制之前还需要技术的发展。美国矿务局自 20 世纪 20 年代起就开始倡导的顶板控制计划在整个过程中发挥了重要作用。
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来源期刊
Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration
Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration Materials Science-Materials Chemistry
CiteScore
3.50
自引率
10.50%
发文量
177
期刊介绍: The aim of this international peer-reviewed journal of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) is to provide a broad-based forum for the exchange of real-world and theoretical knowledge from academia, government and industry that is pertinent to mining, mineral/metallurgical processing, exploration and other fields served by the Society. The journal publishes high-quality original research publications, in-depth special review articles, reviews of state-of-the-art and innovative technologies and industry methodologies, communications of work of topical and emerging interest, and other works that enhance understanding on both the fundamental and practical levels.
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