Figure 2 - uploaded by Joel Lööw
Content may be subject to copyright.
Similar publications
India as a nation is committed to the attainment of 'Health for All' by 2020 through the universal provision of comprehensive primary health care services. In order to materialize this goal of rendering health services to all, availability of adequate number of health centres with required facilities and health personnel with suitable skills are fu...
Citations
... As pointed out by Lööw et al. [20], the underground environment creates many different hazards, including physical, chemical, and ergonomic hazards, which may cause health problems connected with musculoskeletal disorders, hearing loss, and respiratory system diseases [20,21]. Considering the EU's policy concerning safety [22] and observed trends in mining companies in recent years, one may conclude that safety must be prioritised in mine reuse, beginning with initial plans [23]. This means that dealing with risks is currently the most significant challenge jeopardising new projects. ...
Underground mines are a vital part of the European raw material industry. The subsurface mining process is related to the large-scale development of underground structures like tunnels, chambers, workings, etc. These structures are abandoned or liquidated during the process of exploitation or after the termination of works. Still, due to the unique environment, post-mining facilities may be adopted for different purposes. There are few examples of implementations of this capacity in practical terms such as underground laboratories (ULs), energy storages, landfills of dangerous wastes, or food production plants. Unfortunately, the unique environment offered by underground space is also related to the occurrence of exceptional hazards, like seismicity and ground control problems, gases, floods, the lack of natural ventilation, and high temperatures. This results in low interest in investing in such facilities. Within this paper, some ways to repurpose underground mines have been presented, and possible challenges that need to be faced have been described. An extensive database of threats to post-mining repurposing and ways to mitigate them has been prepared based on surveys and interviews conducted with representatives of currently existing Uls and mining companies and a literature review. Finally, this manuscript provides a general look at post-mining infrastructure in Europe’s current situation and in the future.
... According to research on accidents' causes in European and Greek mining industries, the most frequent areas that cause accidents in mining are as follows: external physical threats; poor quality of supplied material; geological disturbance; improper strata control; inadequate training facilities; shortage of skilled employees and de-employment of unskilled employees; inadequate communication systems; poor supervision; spontaneous combustion; improper surveying; explosives and blasting; haulage machinery; slips and falls; lack of awareness; sealed off panels; inadequate supply of spare parts; use of uncalibrated instruments; lack of ventilation; other fires; poor illumination; unsafe behaviours; poor crisis management; off road and underground haulage tracks; cranes and derricks; workers with experiences of less than 5 years; bolting machine; long-wall; car transport; car shuttle; graders; gas drainage and drilling equipment; psychological factors; fatigue; occupational stress; and unsafe behaviours. Based on these accident causes and major risks, the training areas are defined [9][10][11][12]. ...
The aim of this article is to present priority themes covered by the Health and Safety training programs of the Greek and European mining industry during the last decade. Mining is considered as an industry presenting high occupational risks. The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that 1% of the world’s labor force is engaged in mining, yet mining accounts for 5% of occupational fatalities. Despite the use of advanced technologies in a safer working environment and “the zero harm-zero accidents target”, mining accident statistics indicate that despite the gradual decrease in fatality rate, safety performance has reached a safety plateau. In order to further improve this performance, training and promotion of a safety culture through implementation of mine safety plans and enhancement of technical and non-technical skills at all levels of management are prerequisite measures. Currently, training is increasingly relying on immersive virtual reality to simulate complex operations in potentially dangerous environments. Open-cut or underground mining simulators provide safe, replicable and cost effective environments for miners to be trained and for engineers and managers to test different conditions, new ideas, strategies and scenario outcomes, without exposing employees in real time hazards. High-end training programs have the potential not only to improve workplace safety conditions but also to contribute to more effective management and finally to a more sustainable mining industry.
... Vice versa, similar productivity benefits from good OSH conditions accrue at the company and national levels. Moreover, several studies [36,37] show a strong correlation between national competitiveness and the nation's incidence rates of occupational accidents, and the international standard on social responsibility (ISO 26000:2010) defines labor practices as being among the seven core subjects of social responsibility. Meanwhile, the endless competitiveness race ("do-more-and-better-with-less" paradigm [1]) especially in the mining sector, along with impacting internal and external challenges and pressures often results in work-related stress for both managers and workers. ...
This article deals with the role and the place of risk-based thinking in today’s occupational safety and health (OSH) systems used by mining companies. A brief survey on modern challenges and pressures affecting companies, as well as on the structure of supply chains, is given. It is demonstrated that, despite all measures and actions that are being taken, occupational injuries in the mining sector: (a) remain a matter of serious concern and (b) should be examined and investigated through the lens of the company’s complexity. The objective of the article is two-fold: to trace the evolution of risk-based thinking from quality management systems towards OSH management systems and to demonstrate how this approach can be implemented by a company performing open-pit mining operations. The matrix method along with the Fine and Kinney’s method was used in assessing OSH risks, and the checklist method along with a Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT)analysis was used while assessing OSH opportunities. The results of the study make it possible to conclude that risk-based thinking incorporated into an OSH management system can be a robust and efficient instrument for OSH planning and implementation. This article contains an example of assessing OSH risks and opportunities for a dragline operator and also discusses the possible ways of using the data on the OSH risks and opportunities that were identified in OSH activities. The final part also contains comments and reflections on various risks mining companies are facing nowadays.
... As noted by Shooks et al. (2014), according to international standard IEC/FDIS 31010 Risk management -Risk assessment techniques (2009), a comprehensive risk assessment should include: ...
Underground laboratories provide a unique environment for various industries and are the perfect place for developing new technologies for mining, geophysical surveys, radiation detection as well as many other studies and measurements. Unfortunately working in underground excavations is associated with exposure to many hazards not encountered in the laboratories located on the surface. Water inflow, gas burst, roof fall and even seismic hazards translate into high accident rates in the underground mining industry across the globe. Therefore, to minimise the risk of serious accidents, a lot of research investigations related to the development of effective risk assessment procedures are being carried out. One of the initiatives aimed at improving the work safety in underground laboratories in the Baltic Sea Innovation Network project implemented under the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme. This study presents the process of compiling a database on hazards within underground laboratories. Finally, a proposal of unification of the procedure for risk assessment, including methods for determining the likelihood and potential impact of unwanted events has been developed.
... Although the overall trend is that incidents are decreasing in the mining industry, incidents with varying degrees of severity still occur (Shooks et al., 2014). Major incidents are uncommon, but when they do occur the consequences can be serious (Bealko et al., 2011). ...
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine emergency medical service (EMS) personnel’s perceptions and experiences of managing underground mining injury incidents.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 13 EMS personnel were interviewed according to a semi-structured interview guide. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using qualitative content analysis.
Findings
An underground mining environment was described as unfamiliar and unsafe and, with no guidelines for operational actions in an extreme environment, such as underground mines, the EMS personnel were uncertain of their role. They therefore became passive and relied on the rescue service and mining company during a major incident. However, the medical care was not considered to be different from any other prehospital care, although a mining environment would make the situation more difficult and it would take longer for the mine workers to be placed under definitive care.
Originality/value
This study complements earlier studies by examining the EMS personnel’s perceptions and experiences of major incidents.
... Over the past decades, the safety work of the European mining industry has been most successful. This is demonstrated by the accident rates, which have been decreasing since the 1980s, and the increasing relevance of occupational safety and health in corporate mission statements of major mining companies [1]. However, like in many other parts of the world, there is a distinct lack of skilled miners and mining engineers in Europe [2]. ...
For a modern mining company with attractive and safe workplaces a new type of leader for tomorrow’s Health and Safety at work is needed. This was the reason for four leading European mining universities to working closely together with industrial partners in order to develop a PhD-Programme with a focus on increasing mine safety, using the most up to date research data and basing their studies on industry-driven, real scenarios and projects. This programme, SafeMine, aims to develop a holistic, timely and resilient PhD-Programme in Health and Safety in mining and to train a cadre of qualified professionals who can lead the future of health and safety work in the European mining industry based on a modern view of how an attractive and safe mine should be designed and organized.
... The mining industry in Sweden is accompanied by high ambitions in occupational health and legislation, but the average risk of injury and fatality is still high compared to other industrial branches (Shooks, Johansson, Andersson and Lööw, 2014). In 2015 there were in total 684 incidents and 2202 near misses. ...
Moderne Bergbauunternehmen, welche attraktive und sichere Arbeitsbedingungen bieten möchten, brauchen zukünftig entsprechend ausgebildetes Führungspersonal. Aus diesem Grund arbeiten vier der führenden europäischen Bergbauuniversitäten mit Industriepartnern zusammen, um ein gemeinsames, koordiniertes Programm zur Doktorandenausbildung mit Fokus auf Arbeitssicherheit und Gesundheitsschutz im Bergbau ins Leben zu rufen. Die Forschungsthemen basieren dabei auf aktuellen, industrierelevanten Forschungsfragen und Herausforderungen. Dieses Programm, SafeMine, bietet einen ganzheitlichen und strukturierten Ansatz, um den zukünftigen Bedarf an hochqualifiziertem Führungspersonal für den europäischen Bergbausektor im Bereich Arbeitssicherheit und Gesundheitsschutz auszubilden.
In a previous research, a tool integrating the HAZOP analysis method and Coloured Petri Net formalism to support the analysis carried out by specialists during a HAZOP brainstorming session has been provided. In that work, the tool was used to simulate the behaviour of a few components of a chemical plant while diverse abnormal scenarios occur. In the present work, other types of components have been modelled and the behaviour of the plant has been simulated demonstrating its ability to model more complex components, simulate diverse failure types, hence, reducing the total time required to complete the analysis compared to a standard HAZOP assessment approach.
