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.