MARKETS

Roof fall accidents remain a leading cause of US coal mining injuries

ALTHOUGH improvements in roof-control technology have led to decreases in accidents related to ro...

Lou Caruana

During 2013, 265 miners were injured in roof-and-rib falls, down from 377 in 2012. Nearly half of the accidents occurred during the four-month period from June to September, according to mine safety and health assistant secretary Joe Main.

“Even though there was a welcome reduction in the overall number of roof control injuries, too many coal miners are still being hurt on the job in these kinds of accidents,” he said.

Every year, MSHA undertakes a preventive roof-rib outreach program to increase awareness among miners and mine operators of the hazards of roof-and-rib falls.

The 2014 campaign, which runs in September, will focus on conditions specific to the summer months. For example, clay veins and other moisture-sensitive materials in rock formations in the mine roof are prone to being affected by air and humidity and require additional control measures to prevent mine roof-and-rib failures.

The agency has developed informational posters, hard hat stickers and lists of best practices, which will be distributed to miners and mine operators during normal inspections. The information also will be used by MSHA inspectors during safety talks with operators and groups of working miners.

In addition, MSHA inspectors distribute accident prevention alert warnings which list best practice to prevent roof-and-rib accidents specifically related to retreat mining.

TOPICS:

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Monthly Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Monthly Intelligence team.

editions

ESG Mining Company Index: Benchmarking the Future of Sustainable Mining

The ESG Mining Company Index report provides an in-depth evaluation of ESG performance of 61 of the world's largest mining companies. Using a robust framework, it assesses each company across 9 meticulously weighted indicators within 6 essential pillars.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Exploration Report 2024 (feat. Opaxe data)

A comprehensive review of exploration trends and technologies, highlighting the best intercepts and discoveries and the latest initial resource estimates.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Future Fleets Report 2024

The report paints a picture of the equipment landscape and includes detailed profiles of mines that are employing these fleets

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Digitalisation Report 2023

An in-depth review of operations that use digitalisation technology to drive improvements across all areas of mining production