Monday, July 16, 2012
MSHA Video on Mock Mine Rescue
MSHA, in collaboration with Consol
Energy BMX, Pennsylvania state agencies and emergency response teams, recently put on a mock mine
emergency to determine what aspects of mine rescue are successful and what need
improvement. Consol Energy BMX shut down their facility for a day to simulate
the very realistic fire that trapped workers underground. The simulation tested a new seismic location
system that allowed trapped miners to signal from 980 ft underground by
pounding with a timber on a roof bolt. The system then detected the seismic signals
and recorded the results on a chart. A new mine rescue communications system
and the MSHA Permissible Mine Rescue Robot were also proven successful during
this event. According to Joseph Sbaffoni,
Director of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Mine Safety, this is the best training
out there: “It brings all the parties together and it enables us to see how we’re
going to interact, how we’re going to work together, how we’re going to draw on
each other’s resources.” To watch the video on this mock emergency, visit MSHA’s
website.