Analysis of a Historical Accident in a Spanish Coal Mine

Abstract

There has been a long history of coal mine accidents and these, usually, involve serious injuries, fatalities, and the destruction of facilities. In the seventies, an explosion killed 28 miners in a Spanish coal mine. This paper gives insight into the main factors of the accident by means of the causation mode, using two well-known alternatives: (1) the method from the Spanish Instituto Nacional de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo (INSST), where the causes and circumstances of the accident are classified into immediate causes and basic causes, and (2) the Feyer and Williamson method, where the classification is done using precursor events and contributing factors. The analysis identifies the lessons to be learned from the disaster. Both methods have given very similar results, verifying the goodness of the analysis. Methane emissions due to a variation in the exploitation method, the electrical installation, and a lack of safety procedures and training were the main causes of the accident. These findings explain the real causes of this accident and can be very valuable for the prevention of future accidents.

Analysis of the Fire Propagation in a Sublevel Coal Mine

“…Fires in underground mines, although rare, have a huge potential risk, with large-scale accidents recorded over the years and on a recurring basis [1][2][3]. This phenomenon is especially dangerous in coal mining due to its intrinsic characteristics [4,5] and the associated risk of explosion [6].…”

Mine Fire Behavior under Different Ventilation Conditions: Real-Scale Tests and CFD Modeling

“…Table 3 shows the simulation details, while the meshing is detailed in Figure 4. The calculation volume was 3159 m 3 , with a cell size of 0.6 × 0.6 × 0.6 m, obtaining a total of 14,625 cells, which is similar to other previous studies [18]. A preliminary analysis of partial areas of the mesh with smaller grid cells was done, achieving similar results; therefore, the grid was considered as adequate for the purpose of the study.…”

“…Fires are one of the most serious hazards in underground mining. Despite the efforts made to improve the working conditions and the research focused on mine fires over the last decades [1], there were important casualties in the recent years, and it is necessary to analyze them to find the main causal factors [2,3]. The existence of a large number of flammable materials in a mine (such as conveyor belts, electrical cables, wood, internal combustion machines, tires, or oils) makes crucial the availability of proper control systems against potential undesirable situations [4].…”

Determination and Fire Analysis of Gob Characteristics Using CFD

“…The proper management of risk in underground mining, especially coal, is critical to avoid undesirable situations that could lead to tragic accidents, such as fires or explosions [1,2]. Many preventive and corrective measures have been proposed and developed over time [3], but there are still important fatalities in these types of activities [4].…”