Abstract
Following up on a recommendation by the Mine Safety Technology and Training Commission relative to the modification of the Australian risk assessment approach for application to U.S. mines, the authors had previously developed the Safe Performance Index (SPI) as a risk-based methodology. It was designed to assess the relative safety-related risk of underground coal mines regarding injuries and citations for violations of regulations. To determine whether it is equivalent to a traditional risk analysis, a Risk Index is developed in this paper using a traditional risk analysis that embraces the frequency and severity of accidents and violations of mine regulations in a final equation. This methodology is used to analyze the relative risk for all underground coal mines for the years 2007-2010, and the results are compared to the results obtained using the SPI. The comparison revealed that the SPI does emulate a traditional approach to risk analysis. A correlation coefficient of –0.89 or more was observed between the results of these two methodologies, and either can be used to assist companies, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), or state agencies in targeting mines with high risk for serious injuries and elevated citations for remediation of their injury and/or violation experience. The SPI, however, provides a more understandable approach for mine operators to apply using measures compatible with MSHA’s enforcement tools. The SPI is also a transparent and reproducible approach for mine operators and federal and state enforcement agencies to apply.
Highlights
The U.S underground coal mining industry has made significant progress in safety over the years, but the recent major disasters have set back the progress
The risk index results and the Safe Performance Index (SPI) results were tested for correlation using the Minitab statistical software with a level of significance (α) of 0.05
The negative correlations of the risk index with the SPI were expected, as a high risk index indicates a high-risk mine, whereas, the SPI was constructed as a positive safe performance indicator
Summary
The U.S underground coal mining industry has made significant progress in safety over the years, but the recent major disasters have set back the progress. Last decade was no different following the 2006 underground coal mine multiple-fatality events, the U.S Congress passed the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act [1], and the disaster of 2010 (the worst mining disaster in 40 years) initiated a bill, the Robert C. Byrd Miner Safety and Health Act, which was voted down by the Congress; another version is pending further action. These events indicate that the industry has likely been following a reactive approach to managing safety, rather than a proactive approach in managing major-hazard risks. In 2006, the National Mining Association established an independent, tripartite commission [2] to study the status of safety in underground coal mines and to determine what may be done to elevate the industry to a global
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