Control measures for avoiding collisions in underground mines

Abstract

Collisions between vehicles, and between people and equipment, are a high risk in underground mines, and particularly coal mines. The consequences include serious injury and fatalities. The prevention of collisions has recently been a focus of attention by regulators in NSW and Queensland; and particularly the promotion of technological solutions for alerting equipment operators to the proximity of other vehicles, equipment, or people. This paper examines reports describing fatal underground collisions occurring in coal mines in the USA to determine the likely benefit of a range of control measures. All fatalities involving collisions in underground coal mines in the USA ocurring since the year 2000 were identified (n=41). Restricted visibility is implicated as a causal factor in many fatalities, suggesting that control measures such as the provision of video cameras, and proximity detection linked to warning tones, may be effective barriers in some situations. However, in more than half the fatalities, the person operating the equipment was killed, or the operator of the equipment was aware of the location of the person who was killed. In these situations, provision of video cameras, or proximity detection linked to a warning tone alone, may not be sufficient. A series of mini-case studies adapted from the public domain reports of these fatalities are presented to illustrate the issues