Underground coal mine gas monitoring emergency preparation

An emergency situation in an underground coal mine site is an unexpected and often dangerous event that can quickly escalate if immediate action is not undertaken. Emergency situations often occur at the worst possible time and have the potential for multiple loss of life, loss of equipment, loss of coal assets and major damage to a company’s reputation. In an underground coal mine, an emergency situation involving a coal heating or small fire can quickly deteriorate into a large fire or worse a gas explosion. As the emergency situation unfolds, various activities will need to be undertaken that are not part of the normal work practices, for example gas sampling from a bore hole. The equipment required for bore hole sampling, may not be available onsite and the onsite personnel may not be familiar with its use. The aim of this paper is to provide a number of examples, from previous mine incidents to highlight some opportunities as to the emergency planning and preparation that can be implemented to improve the efficiency of the mines emergency response.