14.02.2022

Organization of mine rescue services abroad

Mine workers' and miners' safety is impossible without mine rescue service regardless of its status - professional or voluntary, and in what country this or that mining or processing enterprise operates.

Mine Rescue Services of industrially developed countries are an integral part of the process of organization of safe working conditions to the workers engaged in underground works and have a pronounced industrial purpose.

Mine Rescue Services are staffed by persons having work experience in underground conditions. This fact is due to conduct the mining operations, especially rescue work in mines, it has a number of specific conditions. This and cramped working conditions, limited visibility, a considerable length of mine workings, dustiness, harmful atmosphere of gases to human health, etc.

The main criteria for selection to the professional mine rescue teams abroad are health qualification and successful completion of training courses for mine rescuers, whereas the heads of mine rescue teams are selected in competitions and on the basis of the results they fill the respective positions.

Volunteer mine rescue services and formations accept employees working at a particular mining enterprise, who passed medical examination and appropriate training courses.

At the same time the system of rescue works organization in Western countries is different in the way that the main consideration while establishing Mine Rescue Services is shifted to voluntary detachments where each mining company has its own Mine Rescue Service comprised of specially trained mine specialists able to perform rescue works in conditions of mine workings and the law makes provisions for benefits and different preferences to such service personnel.

In this case, each private company, at its own discretion, acquires the necessary equipment for liquidation accidents in mine workings.

In addition, as a rule, there are professional mine rescue services (training centers) consisting solely of specialists in liquidation of accidents and trained in conducting mine rescue works, including with the use of cryogenic equipment and other special equipment requiring professional training.

The main objectives of professional services (training centers) are training of volunteers in methods of first aid to victims, rescue tactics, study of rescue equipment, elimination of possible accidents in enterprises served, training of workers in other industries in methods of first aid to victims and elimination of accidents.

Professional mine rescue services operate at the expense of contracts with service companies and income from the training of staff of various firms and companies to the methods of rescue work.

For one reason or another they differ from each other in terms of service organization and staff training, but, of course, it is professional rescue services are the guarantee that in an emergency situation at a depth of many meters in the mine workings of the miners in distress will be provided effective, qualified and timely assistance. At the same time performance of rescue works by foreign professional and voluntary rescue services is carried out with minimal risk for rescuers or risks for their life and health are excluded at all.

Thus, it is necessary to notice that coal mines and mines of the industrially advanced countries are hi-tech enterprises on which deeply introduced systems of telemetry and management of mine production, systems of the emergency alerting, monitoring with positioning of the personnel. Modern mining equipment has been introduced everywhere, which makes it possible to minimize the number of miners engaged in underground work and significantly reduce the length of active mine workings.

At the same time, there is an ongoing process of introductory and in-depth training of mining and coal industry workers in safety rules, proper behavior in the high-risk area, regular training of the required skills of the personnel of mines and voluntary rescue teams.