Hazard-Based Design of the Bow-Tie Method to Prevent and Mitigate Mine Accidents

Abstract

The mining trade involves many complicated and interrelated variables—its complex environment, abundant machinery and a plethora of other contributors to accidents. In both developed and developing countries, mining accidents have caused many casualties. However, a universal risk assessment method for mining accidents is has not yet been implemented. Among risk assessment methods, the bow-tie has been used in different industry processes and systems and has proven effective. In this paper, the bow-tie model is utilized to investigate the relationship among mining accident risks, safety measures and possible consequences. The paper illustrates the hazards of mining accidents using US mine accident data. It also shows how the consequences of mine accidents are summarized by laws and regulations of different countries. This paper also introduces a series safety measures from Chinese safety standards and how the safety measures prevent and mitigate risks. At the end of the paper, a case of mine water inrush is applied using the bow-tie approach. The results show that the method is effective for analyzing mine safety.