Reducing roof fall accidents on retreat mining sections
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) (United States). Rock Mechanics Section
Pillar recovery continues to be one of the most hazardous activities in underground mining. Global stability, achieved through proper pillar design, is a necessary prerequisite for safe pillar recovery. Local stability means preventing roof falls in the working area. It is achieved by minimizing the 'risk factors' described in this paper. Roof Control Plans developed at each underground coal mine often address both engineering parameters and human behavior issues. These plans are essential to all mining activities, but nowhere are they more important than in pillar recovery. Pillaring leaves little tolerance for error, and mistakes can be deadly. Roof Control Plans must be carefully drawn up to address site-specific conditions, and then carefully implemented and followed. Miners and foremen involved in pillar extraction should be trained to know and understand the plan prior to beginning retreat mining. More details can be found at www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/pubs/pdfs/rtrog.pdf. 3 figs.
- OSTI ID:
- 20712232
- Journal Information:
- Coal Age, Vol. 110, Issue 12; Other Information: cmark@cdc.gov; ISSN 0009-9910
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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