Honoring the men and women who respond to mine emergencies

ARLINGTON, Va. – ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­The U.S. Department of Labor’s blog  added  a new post today from Joseph A. Main, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health, about the brave men and women who respond to mine emergencies. His thoughts coincide with Mine Rescue Day on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2016.

Editor’s Note: With proper attribution, we grant permission for cross-posting. Please find the post’s text below:

“Firefighters, police officers and emergency medical technicians inarguably are among our nation’s bravest individuals. So, too, are the selfless men and women who, without hesitation, travel hundreds of feet underground to locate miners who may be trapped, seriously injured or missing.

“Their missions are incredibly risky, as mine rescue teams traverse some of the most treacherous conditions in the aftermath of a mine explosion, fire, cave-in or inundation. Seldom do these rescues happen quickly — they may take hours, days or even longer. And tragically, many end up as recovery operations.

“On Oct. 30, Mine Rescue Day, we recognize these courageous volunteers who place their own lives on the line in an effort to save their fellow miners.

“Mine rescue teams prepare continuously and diligently to respond to a mine disaster they hope never happens. They undergo extensive training that is supported by the federal government, state organizations and the mining community. Across the country, nearly 300 teams stand ready to act should a mine accident occur.

“The Mine Safety and Health Administration takes mine emergency response very seriously. Thanks to the efforts of the entire mining community, we are better prepared than ever to carry out faster and more efficient rescue and recovery operations.

“Over the past six years, we have made considerable progress to improve mine emergency response, starting with a thorough analysis of gaps and weaknesses in the system. Today, that system is much stronger, thanks to a number of achievements. Here’s a partial list:

• Created the Holmes Mine Rescue Association, a national organization that supports and provides needed guidance to the mine rescue community.
• Developed new, state-of-the-art communications and tracking systems, as well as mapping and atmospheric monitoring equipment to improve communication between command center personnel on the surface and mine rescue teams underground.
• Established a fourth mine emergency operations station in Kentucky, to serve mines in the Midwest.
• Upgraded skills training requirements for coal mine rescue teams.
• Reformatted national mine rescue contests to further sharpen teams’ skills.

“There’s always more to do to be truly prepared, so our work continues – including improving refuge alternatives for miners unable to exit the mine during an emergency; and adding features to self-contained self-rescuers that allow miners to communicate with each other without breathing toxic air. We’re continuing to test seismic detection systems to help locate trapped and missing miners, and advancing through-the-earth technology that can provide real-time voice communications at depths underground never before considered possible. We’ve acquired two robots from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which we are testing and improving, so that they can be used to assist in mine rescues underground. And we are working on the capability to transmit video imaging from advancing rescue teams directly to the surface command center.

“The mining industry is experiencing historical lows in mine deaths, accidents, and fatality and injury rates, but we won’t be complacent until every miner can return home safe and healthy after each shift. Continued dedication to improving mine emergency preparedness is perhaps the best way we can honor the efforts and contributions of our nation’s mine rescue teams. They deserve no less.”

Joseph A. Main is the assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health.