The paper is dealing with a developed concept named Empowerment Teaching, which is based on practical teaching experience gained in various mining universities. It is demonstrated that this concept can be used to increase the effectiveness of knowledge transfer to mining countries in the world, as well as to overcome cultural barriers between lecturers and their students. The two models of participatory training, which are proposed to be named “physical” and “emotional” models, are portrayed. The authors are convinced that participatory training methods can be an ideal answer to a challenge associated with workers’ competencies in mining, namely – the potential of highly motivated and well-educated young academics is often diminished by a lack of ability to apply their knowledge. A special emphasis is made on the possible application of empowerment teaching for educational and training activities in the field of occupational safety and health (OSH), which is a matter of utmost importance for the mining industry. Several benchmarking initiatives in the field of OSH (“safety culture”, zero-accident vision) are underlined to be encouraged and promoted by means of new teaching methods. The examples of successful international cooperation among universities are given, as well.

This article deals with the role and the place of risk-based thinking in today’s occupational safety and health (OSH) systems used by mining companies. A brief survey on modern challenges and pressures affecting companies, as well as on the structure of supply chains, is given. It is demonstrated that, despite all measures and actions that are being taken, occupational injuries in the mining sector: (a) remain a matter of serious concern and (b) should be examined and investigated through the lens of the company’s complexity. The objective of the article is two-fold: to trace the evolution of risk-based thinking from quality management systems towards OSH management systems and to demonstrate how this approach can be implemented by a company performing open-pit mining operations. The matrix method along with the Fine and Kinney’s method was used in assessing OSH risks, and the checklist method along with a Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT)analysis was used while assessing OSH opportunities. The results of the study make it possible to conclude that risk-based thinking incorporated into an OSH management system can be a robust and efficient instrument for OSH planning and implementation. This article contains an example of assessing OSH risks and opportunities for a dragline operator and also discusses the possible ways of using the data on the OSH risks and opportunities that were identified in OSH activities. The final part also contains comments and reflections on various risks mining companies are facing nowadays.

Ensuring the ever-increasing demands of society for energy resources is a key problem for the development of the economy of all countries of the world. At this stage, to improve the living and working conditions of a person, the development of industry and transport, the growth of production based on scientific and technological progress, a continuous increase in energy use is required. Analysis of the environmental consequences of coal mining shows that the human impact on the environment in the process of economic activity becomes global. Therefore, the main goal of the work is to assess the environmental safety in production because of a decrease in rock mass during underground coal mining. The work analyses the levels of negative environmental impact of coal industry enterprises. The relationship between the key statistical indicator that affects the accident rate and the value of professional risk is demonstrated. It is shown that despite the general tendency to reduce the number of cases of fatal injuries to coal mine workers, the procedure for assessing the risk caused by rock falls needs to be improved. In this regard, when assessing occupational risk, it becomes relevant to use information from multifunctional systems of safety (MSS). The complex method of effective control of mountain pressure is illustrated by application of the developed methodology of computer modelling of geo-mechanical processes, instrumental and geophysical methods for protection and maintenance of mine workings at development of a coal seam of the Barentsburg field.

The paper contains the analysis of the data on major industrial accidents and occupational injuries at the coal mine industry enterprises of Russia in order to reveal statistically significant correlations between the indicators impacting the accident rate and the employees’ death risk level. As the risk criteria, the values of the methane-air resultant mixtures (MARM) explosions frequency and the frequency of the staff exposure at MARM explosions in the mines (observed levels of personal risks) are taken. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov test and Kruskal–Wallis test are used to analyze the categorized data samplings over the period from 2005 to 2016. The authors have defined the influence of relative gas content and hazard of layers regarding spontaneous combustion on the MARM explosions frequency. The regression models that take into consideration the impact of hazardous factors on the risk indicators have been received. The results of the performed coal mines ranging in Russia have been presented according to the level of individual risk, caused by MARM explosions; the received results have been compared with the acceptable tolerable risk level. The relevance of applying the research findings has been shown at the implementation of the dynamic model of the risk-based approach for ensuring coal mines safe exploitation.

It has been noted that the areas disturbed by open-pit mining together with the production processes in the extraction of mineral resources (drilling, blasting, transportation, etc.) have a negative influence on the environment in general and the atmosphere in particular. It has been indicated that, in percentage terms, dusting of refuse dumps and tailing dumps plays a prevailing role in the total amount of dust generated. It has been stated that the processes of formation and subsequent transfer of dust in the atmosphere depend on the combination of meteorological and mining factors that have a probabilistic nature in time and space. It has been shown that the maximum value of environmental risk characterises the level of dust influence, at which reduction environmental protection measures should be directed. The present paper proposes a procedure for evaluation of the dusty influence of mining enterprises on the environment. Under the conditions of Olenegorsk GOK, a GIS has been compiled – a project of the study area and, based on geo-information modelling, the results of calculating dust concentrations in the air have been imposed on a digital map of the area.