The meeting was the second in a series of such gatherings, for a group of industry experts collected by the Federal Government to examine the topic as well as fire retardant properties of belts, which will culminate next year with a report to industry.

Last week’s event began on Wednesday with a trio of speakers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, including an overview from Robert Timko, an outline of the agency’s belt flammability research and laboratory-scale studies by Chuck Lazzara, and a discussion of belt toxicity issues by C David Litton.

Another trio, this time made up of belt producers Goodyear, Fenner Dunlop, and Phoenix, presented throughout Wednesday afternoon before a public input period was held.

Thursday morning’s itinerary was primarily led by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, with presentations on the topics of laboratory-scale flammability testing by Harry Verakis, belt fire historical data by Mike Kalich and a panel discussion regarding belt material/flammability/toxicity issues.

Robert Krog of NIOSH kicked off the afternoon session with a talk regarding the use of belt air at the face/belt velocity limits, followed by mine escape issues by Fred Kissell of NIOSH. A public input period was again offered to wrap up the day.

Friday’s schedule was short, consisting of a discussion of the 1992 Belt Air Advisory Committee report by Raj Ramani and a general panel discussion of identified issues and plans for future meetings. The official adjournment was announced at noon.

Mutmansky, the committee’s chair, told International Longwall News that he was “greatly encouraged” by the information exchanged between parties and the knowledge all in attendance gained.

“The two and a half days were a big step in understanding the primary issues of belt flammability, the dangers associated with flammability, and the problems of escape from a mine fire,” he said.

“Overall, I would say that the meeting was a success from the standpoint of the panel.”

The presentations, he added, were scheduled in a way that allowed questions both during and after presentations, and lines of communication were kept flexible throughout.

“I thought that the panel members were very active in questioning the speakers and that the speakers responded very well,” Mutmansky said.

“The belt manufacturers presented their papers and then formed a round-table discussion group.”

With the panel’s work progressing, he confirmed the panel’s next two meetings, which will occur in May and June. May’s gathering will be held on May 15–18, when part of the group will visit a two-entry western longwall and the team will meet in Salt Lake City, Utah to focus on convergence and rock mechanics issues.

In June, three of the panel’s members will visit an Alabama longwall operation for a field tour, and the two days following will spotlight monitoring systems.

“Both Salt Lake and Birmingham meetings are expected to be scheduled for two days,” Mutmansky noted.

“However, three days are being kept open to ensure that every topic is covered and every interested party is heard.”

The establishment of the panel, MSHA’s Linda Zeiler said earlier this year, was “completely driven by what Congress spelled out in the MINER Act,” referring to the requirement included in last year's legislation that must be satisfied. The final deadline for the report to be submitted is December 20 of this year.

The panel members include:

• Dr Jurgen F Brune, NIOSH Disaster Prevention and Response Branch chief;
• Dr Felipe Calizaya, University of Utah mining engineering associate professor;
• Dr Jan M Mutmansky, Pennsylvania State University mining engineering professor emeritus;
• Dr Jerry C Tien, University of Missouri-Rolla mining engineering associate professor;
• Thomas P Mucho, of Thomas P Mucho & Associates mining consultancy; and
• Dr James L Weeks, Evergreen Consulting director.

Keep watching International Longwall News for further updates on the technical study panel.