{"id":2754,"date":"2015-12-01T13:21:33","date_gmt":"2015-12-01T12:21:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/2025.mining-report.de\/english\/?page_id=2754"},"modified":"2015-12-14T14:59:34","modified_gmt":"2015-12-14T13:59:34","slug":"2754-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mining-report.de\/english\/2754-2\/","title":{"rendered":"RAG\u2019s Pathway to \u2018Zero\u2019 Accidents"},"content":{"rendered":"T<\/span>he RAG Aktiengesellschaft (RAG), Herne\/Germany, with its three active collieries of Prosper-Haniel, Auguste Victoria and Ibbenb\u00fcren, is currently in run-down mode. Auguste Victoria is set to close at the end of this year, while production is to cease at the two remaining collieries, Prosper-Haniel and Ibbenb\u00fcren, in 2018. The company will then enter the post-mining era and will have to shoulder the \u2018eternity burden\u2019 of coal industry-related operations such as mine dewatering. RAG has pioneered and implemented a whole range of operational safety developments at its collieries and with the end of coal production these achievements will to some extent become devoid of purpose, and may even be lost completely. This would be irresponsible, given that mining operations will be continuing in the wider world and that the company has built up a body of experience that should be kept available. The equipment and procedures that were developed at RAG collieries were not put into practice on a \u201cnice to have\u201d basis but rather were based on the results of actual events and industrial accidents, whose future prevention called for measures that were then incorporated into the company\u2019s safety plan and safety regulations. This paper, which is based on a presentation given by the author to the International Mining Rescue Body Conference (IMRB) 2015 that was held in Hanover on 8th September 2015, traces the history of these developments and how they were introduced by RAG.<\/p>\n\n\t\t
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Author: <\/strong>Dipl.-Ing. Peter Schrimpf, Stellvertretender Vorsitzender des Vorstands der RAG Aktiengesellschaft, Herne, und Vizepr\u00e4sident der ISSA Mining, Bochum<\/p>\n\n\t\t

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Introduction<\/h3>\n\n\t\t
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Mine rescue brigades all over the world have to display qualities such as intelligence, even-handedness, courage and restraint in equal measure. Mine rescue teams are always there to be relied on and are always ready to carry out their missions under the most difficult conditions in order to protect and save lives. The Central Mines Rescue Station, which is a joint mining-industry body representing activities such as emergency rescue, self-rescue techniques and fire and explosion protection, was established in Germany more than 100 years ago. Since then its rescue teams have responded to all kinds of mining emergency situations and their actions have helped ensure mineworkers\u2019 safety over the years. These rescue brigades are a key part of the current mine safety strategy.<\/p>\n

Two major incidents can be recalled that aroused international attention at the time and indeed still stir the emotions of the mining community to this day. On 9th November 1963 an exceptional rescue mission was carried out at the Lengede-Broistedt iron ore mine in which eleven miners were brought out alive thanks to the use of a special rescue capsule termed the \u2018Dahlbusch Bomb\u2019. This audacious feat, which thanks to a number of fortunate circumstances also became known as the \u2018Lengede miracle\u2019, was only made possible as a result of various mine safety and rescue developments and the support of the mine rescue service and other helpers and technical departments. This work commenced in 1955 at the Dahlbusch mine in Bochum. The same technology was also successfully deployed in November 2010 in the Atacama Desert in Chile, when 33 miners at the San Jose copper-gold mine were rescued alive from a depth of 600 m using a sophisticated version of the rescue capsule (Figure 1). Both these actions succeeded in extricating miners from their desperate situation.<\/p>\n

\"Fig.<\/a>
Fig. 1. Rescue missions with the Dahlbusch Bomb.
Bild 1. Beispiele f\u00fcr den Einsatz der Dahlbusch-Rettungsbombe.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Lengede incident showed that the mining industry was not only in need of a high-quality safety concept for day-to-day operations and efficient rescue systems for emergency cases, but that it also required the right interactive mix of technology and preventive and protective safety measures. The systematic application of preventive fire and explosion protection measures in German collieries is a key factor in ensuring that, in the event of an emergency arising, those working below ground have access to planned escape routes that will lead them to safety. The ability of the mine rescue team to reach people in the event of an explosion is crucially dependent on measures of this kind.<\/p>\n\n\t\t

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Conditions for a safe working environment<\/h3>\n\n\t\t
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The most important and valuable asset of a mining company is its workforce. The employees have to be conscious of this if the safety measures that are an inextricable part of this mindset, and all the health, safety and environmental protection practices that have to be followed, are to be driven forward with real impact. In short: working safely and successfully is all about having the right conditions in place (Figure 2).<\/p>\n

\"Fig.<\/a>
Fig. 2. Basic parameters for a safe workplace.
Bild 2. Rahmenbedingungen f\u00fcr sicheres Arbeiten.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The basic requirements comprise:<\/p>\n