Comparative Analysis of Compliance with Mine Ventilation Standards by U.S. Longwall Underground Coal Mines

Abstract

Because of the Upper Big Branch-South disaster in 2010, this paper examines the mine ventilation-standard compliance performance of all US longwall underground coal mines. Using the new Mine Ventilation Safe Performance Index (MV-SPI), analysis revealed that the best-performing mines had very low elevated-citation rates; 25% of the 40 mines had no closure orders. Results indicate that attaining a high level of compliance with ventilation standards is feasible for large longwall mines. The MV-SPI could be used by mine operators, enforcement agencies, and safety professionals to determine the comparative performance of mines in complying with ventilation standards and to benchmark performances. © 2011 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Department(s)

Mining Engineering

Keywords and Phrases

Longwall Mining; Mine Ventilation Compliance Index; MV-CI; Ventilation Standard Compliance

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

1754-890X

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2011 Inderscience, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jan 2011

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