RAG Aktiengesellschaft

At the start of 2018, the RWTH Aachen University invited 200 miners to take part in a blood testing study looking at PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl). RAG AG, based in Essen/Germany, initiated the study in a bid to shed some light on the subject.

The RAG Company Medical Centre (CMC) is responsible for taking the blood samples and performing medical history checks. A sampling of at least 200 miners is required to provide meaningful comparisons with the possible contamination level of the general population. The CMC is passing the samples and documents on to the Institute for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine (IASU) at the RWTH Aachen University hospital. The institute is undertaking the analyses under the leadership of Prof. Thomas Kraus, a highly regarded expert in the field of PCB.

Every stage of the study is being conducted in close coordination with an extensive steering committee, who developed the scientific concept, incorporated an ethics committee and clarified data protection issues.

In the period from the 1960s to the mid-1980s, hydraulic oils containing PCB were used underground for fire safety reasons. Following a disaster in a Belgian mine in the 1950s, the mining authorities instructed all mining companies to switch to difficult-to-ignite hydraulic oils, which contained PCB at that time. The hazard potential of PCB was assessed differently back then. (RAG/Si.)

In December 2017, the District Government of Arnsberg/Germany, in its capacity as the mining authority for all of North Rhine-Westphalia, approved the colliery closure plan for the underground section of the central water drainage site at the Haus Aden mine (Figure 1). The approval was granted on the basis of a specialist report, compiled by a group of expert surveyors contracted by the North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry for Environment and Agriculture, which has refuted initially asserted concerns. The full report can be viewed at https://www.bra.nrw.de/3747177 or a summary report is available from https://www.bra.nrw.de/3747190. Both versions can be downloaded.

This means RAG AG, Essen/Germany, can commence the proposed process of gradually raising underground mine water levels at the Haus Aden 2 shaft to 600 m below sea level. To monitor the controlled rise of mine water levels, an extensive monitoring programme and other checks have been defined by law in order to identify, eliminate or minimise unknown risks early on. This monitoring programme, the results of which are to be published, incorporates (among other things) a dense network of existing deep groundwater gauges and additional new groundwater gauges that are to be constructed 600 m below sea level by means of deep drilling. Metrological surveillance is also to be undertaken at ground surface level. This ensures that the mine water, which is rising slowly over several years, is thoroughly tested for contamination by heavy metals and PCB. In this connection, the surveyors make the assumption that the rising mine water levels will continue to reduce the existing pollution levels that are already very low. In light of this, and on the basis of the legal specifications of the Federal Mining Act, RAG’s application for approval of the colliery closure plan was approved. Furthermore, the RAG has voluntarily undertaken to construct and operate two pilot facilities for clearing PCB, one of which will be at the Haus Aden site. (RAG/Si.)

At the end of 2018, the German coal mining industry will come to a close in Germany. This marks the end of a significant era in German industrial history; an era that not only defined the coal-mining districts, but also played a major role in economic development in Germany and even Europe.

„The end of active mining does not mean an end to RAG‘s responsibilities in the former mining regions,“ explains Chairperson of the RAG Management Board, Bernd Tönjes. In mid-November 2017, together with Lord Mayor of the City of Herne/Germany, Frank Dudda, Tönjes laid the foundation stone of a modern control hub at the Herne-Wanne site. All managerial teams, who oversee what are known as the perpetual obligations of the mining industry, are due to be brought together there from 2019.

Once coal production is over, the Essen-based RAG AG will focus its activities on the consequences of mining. This involves on the one hand the perpetual obligations surrounding the drainage of mine water, polder measures, and groundwater remediation at affected sites, and on the other hand the final tasks such as developing post-mining land and correcting the damage caused by mining. Tönjes: „In everything we do, our focus is always on protecting people and the environment – in particular, ensuring the safety of drinking water.“

The new control hub on the former site of the Pluto mine in Herne, due for completion by the end of 2018, will serve as a central base for managing and checking all the water drainage monitoring systems in the Ruhr and Saar regions and in Ibbenbüren. Data from technical building management, maintenance planning and staff deployment planning will also be recorded here. (RAG/Si.)

Bernd Tönjes, Chair of the RAG AG Board of Management in Essen/Germany, was elected for another two-year term of office as moderator during the autumn General Assembly of the Ruhr initiative group.

The RAG site on the Shamrockring is to be converted to a residential and business district over the next few years. Essen-based FAKT AG has acquired the plot and is planning a large amount of development within the existing buildings at the 10 ha site in Herne/Germany.

FAKT AG CEO Prof Hubert Schulte-Kemper announced this at a press conference in the RAG canteen at the historic Mulvany-Villa, together with Bernd Tönjes, CEO of the RAG Management Board and Herne‘s Lord Mayor Frank Dudda (Figure 1).

The plans include office spaces and restaurants. Extensions to the buildings are also envisaged, however, in the form of e. g. family-friendly housing and retirement properties. The plans also include a car park with the latest charging facilities for electric vehicles and a daycare centre. „We are also looking at the prospect of a hotel,“ said Prof Schulte-Kemper as he presented the comprehensive plans. The transition should be noticeable by the end of next year, and the aim is to have the entire portfolio leased out by the following year.

Accordingly, reports say that there have already been two major international enquiries regarding the project.

„An experienced investor who wanted to use the entire plot would ensure that the site will be put to good subsequent use. This is our goal as well,“ said Tönjes, referring to the plans. Tönjes stressed that RAG‘s operational activities will remain at the Pluto site in Herne. „A modern control centre for mine water drainage will be based here as well, which is to say we are not pulling out of Herne completely.“

FAKT AG is taking over the whole site and all buildings. At present, there are still 460 RAG employees working at the Herne Shamrockring site. When all the buildings are taken into account, there used to be 1,250 staff here. Of those employees remaining, roughly 240 moved to the new Zollverein site in Essen between mid-October and mid-November. Little by little, the relocation will continue. By 2019, RAG will have withdrawn from its Herne site completely.

Referring to the district, located close to the inner city, a delighted Lord Mayor Dudda said: „This means we are seamlessly picking up where industrial use of the site leaves off. We are dealing with mega-trends like urbanity, digitisation and globality at this location.“ He guaranteed FAKT AG the full support of the city for their plans. FAKT AG has already successfully converted the former headquarters of Ruhrgas and the ThyssenKrupp AG Rheinstahl building in Essen. (RAG/Si.)

Under the slogan “Thanks to German Coal for 153 Years of Solidarity”, Eickhoff Bergbautechnik GmbH, Bochum/Germany, delivered an SL 750 shearer loader to RAG Aktiengesellschaft on 13th July 2017 (Figure 1).

The Bochum-based manufacturer’s high-power machines have been used in German mines since the beginning of last century, when underground coal mining became mechanised. From that point on, they have assisted miners in extracting domestic “black gold” whilst helping mining sites to continuously improve safety and productivity.

The close, trusting collaboration – which has lasted for decades – between the German coal mining group and the family-owned machinery manufacturer in the heart of the Ruhr region has fostered the development of this reliable, sophisticated machinery. Shearer loaders are now the general, proven standard for all high-output faces in major coal regions around the world. In particular, Eickhoff shearer loaders enjoy an outstanding global reputation when it comes to safety and reliability.

The Eickhoff SL 750 yellow giant is as heavy as 50 mid-range cars (96 t), can extract a seam the same height as a two-storey building (5 m) and has a total installed power equivalent to seven of the most powerful Unimogs ever built (1,534 kW) (Figure 2). This means it can cut and load 1,500 lorry-loads (40,000 t) of coal every day.

The modern, high-tech equipment of this type of extraction machine guarantees safety while mining, the lowest possible impact on staff and increased production, while avoiding any unwanted cutting of the surrounding rock. The technology includes radar sensors to avoid collisions and to determine the section actually cut, vibration sensors and complex analysis software for status diagnostics and need-based maintenance work, vibration monitoring for detecting the interface between coal and the surrounding rock, special cameras for control and monitoring from a safe distance and automatic modes that can be freely selected by the operator. In automatic mode, the shearer loader moves and cuts autonomously, allowing the operator to stay in the fresh air at all times.

Although the mining machine delivered on 13th July looks new, it is largely made up of reconditioned and refurbished components. For this, the Eickhoff Service team broke the machine down into its individual units, checked them and repaired them in line with Eickhoff’s quality standards. To guarantee that underground mining could start smoothly, Eickhoff and RAG experts assembled and tested the machine together in Eickhoff’s assembly facilities. Then the machine was dismantled and transported underground. The last shearer loader used in Germany will help the miners at operating panel 124 on the Zollverein seam of the Prosper-Haniel mine in Bottrop until the mine closes for good in 2018 as the result of a political decision. The ceremonial handover of this shearer loader marked the start of the last chapter in the German coal mining industry (Figure 3).

Eickhoff has been closely associated with coal mining since its foundation. It initially only supplied machines in Germany, but has done so internationally too since the early 20th century. After growing on the back of German coal, Eickhoff has developed into a broad-based, internationally successful group over the last few decades, with 2,000 specialists worldwide. Its range of products and related local customer service not only cover mining machinery, but now also include robust industrial gear units, high-tech gearboxes for wind turbines, special locomotives and underground rail transport solutions. (Eickhoff/Si.)

Markus Masuth was appointed Chairperson of the Executive Board at RAG Montan Immobilien GmbH, a subsidiary of RAG Aktiengesellschaft based in Essen/Germany, on 1st October 2017. He succeeds Prof. Hans-Peter Noll, who has assumed the same position at the Zollverein foundation. Following a career in several RAG mines, from 2008 onwards Masuth had been the Head of the Prosper coke plant in Bottrop/Germany, which was taken over by Arcelor Mittal in 2011. Since then, he has acted as Chairperson of the Board at Arcelor Mittal Bottrop GmbH.

Hans-Reiner Biehl, long-standing Chairperson of the Board at Saarbergwerke AG, based in Saarbrücken/Germany, passed away on 23rd June 2017 at the age of 80. Biehl, who was born in Saarbrücken, was the first Saarlander to head Saarbergwerke AG. Saarbergwerke was merged into Deutsche Steinkohle AG, now RAG, in the late 1990s.

The North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry for Economic Affairs, the city of Recklinghausen/Germany and RAG Aktiengesell-schaft, Herne/Germany, are in favour of preserving the training mine in the Recklinghausen-Süd district. This was explained during a visit by the Minister for Economic Affairs, Garrelt Duin, Mayor Christoph Tesche and RAG Director Stefan Hager (Figure 1). Minister Duin said: “The facility is an asset in three respects: Firstly, it conveys a fascinating realistic image of the underground world and will attract tourists both from the region and further afield. Secondly, even after coal mining has come to an end in this country, mining suppliers will be able to demonstrate the quality of their machines to international customers. And finally, it is a very popular location among film-makers.”

RAG does not have the ways and means to continue operating the training mine as of 2019, once coal production has ended. Hager: “We at RAG are unable to secure the training mine’s future. Which is why we are pleased to find partners into whose responsible hands we can pass this institution. We have always kept the training mine up to date with modern technology, for our own benefit. Currently there is nowhere else above ground that gives you as authentic an experience of mining as here in Recklinghausen. This is an opportunity for the city of Recklinghausen and the mining region to benefit from tourism.”

The North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry for Economic Affairs together with the District Government of Arnsberg, the city of Recklinghausen and RAG will now establish what the future of the institution might look like in specific terms and who could operate the “mine”. Mining machine manufacturers from North Rhine-Westphalia have also stated their interest in preserving the training mine, along with the Smart Mining global network of EnergieAgentur.NRW. They have requested that it remains a “training mine” at the very least, in order to continue to test machines and train staff to use them. Of course, this would mean many visitors could still get a glimpse of the underground world – but without access to the deposit itself.

“Recklinghausen has grown up with coal and has a close relationship with mining,” highlighted the Mayor of Recklinghausen, Tesche. He continued: “That is why we would like to preserve the training mine as a piece of our contemporary history, as a site for discovering mining and for further use. This will enable us to create a tourist destination and a unique landmark in the north of the Ruhr region. At the same time, it will create the new jobs we desperately need owing to the end of the mining industry in Recklinghausen.”

The RAG training mine is located in the spoil tip on the site of the former Recklinghausen II coal mine (Figure 2). With a drift measuring 1,200 m, various types of extraction equipment, tunnelling and a shaft, it provides a realistic representation of the underground world. The most important machines and equipment used for a range of tasks from preliminary work to extraction, as well as transport right through to communication and control equipment, are concentrated in a small area in the training mine. RAG primarily uses the equipment to train skilled personnel under realistic conditions. There is even a 17 m deep shaft available for training purposes.

The training mine also provides ideal conditions for research projects, such as a collision warning system for international mining which was developed here by a consortium of eight European companies led by the RWTH Aachen University. The German Aerospace Center also used the training mine to test an innovative shaft inspection system with high-tech modules for abandoned mines in cooperation with RAG.

Moreover, the training mine has served as a filming location on multiple occasions. E. g., scenes from “The Miracle of Bern”, as well as two German TV series “Alarm für Cobra 11” and “Der letzte Bulle” were all filmed here.

The “mine workings” originally arose from the spoil tip of the Clerget shaft sunk in 1870, also known locally as the “Klärchen” shaft. The mine was only renamed “Recklinghausen II” at a later date and mined coal from 1875 until it was decommissioned in 1972. In the Second World War, the drifts in the spoil tip served as a military hospital and an air raid shelter and were not used for a long time thereafter. The mine has been used by RAG for training purposes since 1975. Up until 2003, trainees still used a drift in the spoil tip of around 250 m in length. Today, the training mine receives some 6,000 visitors every year with exercises and training sessions held for professional development, catering for up to 100 people per day. In addition to realistic underground conditions, the mine has two rooms equipped for modern multimedia and a number of seminar rooms to assist with the delivery of these sessions. (RAG/Si.)

The eighth annual Corporate Health Awards once again confirmed that the occupational health management (OHM) services offered by RAG Aktiengesellschaft in Herne rank among the best in Germany. Having already won the Excellence certificate last year, RAG was able to improve even further and take first place in the “Energy sector” category.

In its assessment, the panel of experts gave particular praise to the in-house training facilities at RAG, as well as the “exceptionally well equipped” Health and Movement Centre. In this context, the OHM specialists were also impressed by the free-of-charge services and the one-to-one on-site support. The “exemplary scope” of check-ups and regular examinations offered by the company health centre also received high praise. Representatives from the company and OHM experts from throughout Germany took part in the award ceremony, which was held in Bonn. The participants included Peter Schrimpf, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board at RAG, Frank Bandow, Head of the Staff Central and Service Division, and Reiner Jung, Head of the Health Protection/Occupational Healthcare Dept. (Figure 1).

“One of the greatest challenges in phasing out Germany’s coal mining activities lies in maintaining a corporate culture that excels through good miner’s virtues like camaraderie, solidarity and hard work,” commented Schrimpf at the ceremony held in the Federal City. Occupational health management plays a key role here, as only healthy and motivated miners are capable of actively living an effective company culture.

A total of 335 companies submitted applications for this year’s Corporate Health Award, which ranks among the most famous OHM awards in Germany. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy assumed patronage for the competition organised by the Handelsblatt trade journal, TÜV Süd, EuPD Research and the ias Group. (RAG, Si.)

RAG Aktiengesellschaft in Herne and the German Employers’ Liability Insurance Association for the Raw Materials and Chemical Industry (Berufsgenossenschaft Rohstoffe und chemische Industrie, BG RCI) in Heidelberg are engaged in close collaboration within the scope of implementing the preventive strategy entitled “VISION ZERO. Zero accidents – healthy work practices” (Figure 1). RAG and the BG RCI both firmly believe that the preventive strategy can help avoid accidents and occupational illnesses. Indeed, the coal mining industry in Germany is already considered the safest worldwide.

“The cooperation agreement is the next logical step for further advancing the prevention of workplace accidents and work-related health hazards at our companies. Health and safety at the workplace need to be recognised as elementary values. All executives, managers and employees must act according to their responsibility,” explains Peter Schrimpf, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board at RAG, who signed the agreement for RAG.

“Health and safety at the workplace is something dear to all of us,” explained Ulrich Meesmann, CEO of BG RCI. “We are all delighted to enter into this cooperation with RAG. The preventive strategy of the BG RCI, entitled “VISION ZERO. Zero accidents – healthy work practices” stipulates concrete objectives which are to be achieved by 2024.” Meesmann then went on to say that RAG is already playing an exemplary part in this field. The goal now is for the occupational accident risk to be reduced by a further 30 % and the number of fatal occupational accidents reduced by 50 %.

Ten points are listed in the agreement to ensure that sustainable improvements in health and safety can be advanced even further. Among other things, managers are to become qualified in implementing the success factors described in the VISION ZERO guidelines in their own area of responsibility. In addition to this, introduction of the German “Sicher mit System” (Systematic Safety) safety seal of approval is to be supported by the BG RCI.

RAG considers occupational health and safety to be equally as important as production and profitability. The idea is to use suitable preventative measures to continually and systematically further reduce the number of workplace accidents. Since 1995, the number of accidents recorded in the German coal mining industry has fallen by more than 90 % to 3.8 accidents per million man-hours in 2016. The measures implemented also include a group-wide occupational safety campaign, which is intended to set out safe procedures before, during and after mining work and remain in place until the end of German coal mining activities in 2018. RAG currently has around 7,300 employees. (RAG/Si.)