One Hundred Years of Federal Mining Safety and Health Research

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Worldwide experience has shown that the CMRR is a reliable, meaningful, and repeatable measure of mine roof quality. NIOSH has developed a wide variety of ground control design tools based on the CMRR. These tools address a broad range of issues, including longwall pillar design, roof support selection, feasibility studies, extended-cut evaluation, and others. As a result, the CMRR is becoming the accepted standard for geotechnical characterization of mine roof and is often referred to in the technical literature. The CMRR has also become truly international, involved in mine designs and research projects funded by the Safety in Mines Research Advisory Committee (South Africa), the Canada Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology, and the Australian Coal Association Research Program. 6.2.10 Guidelines for Coal Pillar Recovery When coal is first mined, large pillars of coal are left to support the rock between the mine and the surface. When these pillars are later recovered, the ground collapses. Nationally, coal pillar recovery accounts for just 10 percent of coal mined underground, but it is associated with more than 30 percent of mine roof fall fatalities. NIOSH has conducted research to reduce the ground fall hazard during coal pillar recovery since the early 1990s. Significant research products include: • The Analysis of Retreat Mining Pillar Stability (ARMPS) computer program (1994-1997) • Advocacy of the use of mobile roof supports for temporary roof support (1994-present) • Guidelines for coal pillar and panel design to prevent massive pillar collapses (1993- 1997) • Guidelines for panel and barrier pillars for pillar recovery under deep cover (2002) • Guidelines for sizing the final stump to prevent unplanned roof collapse (2001) • Guidelines for cut sequencing and roof bolting, and identification of other risk factors for pillar recovery, such as old works, multiple-seam mining, and wide roof spans (2002) The research has also contributed to significant changes in the way pillar recovery is practiced throughout the United States. Today, more than one-half of all pillars are recovered using mobile roof supports. Fewer and fewer roof control plans allow the extraction of the final stump. Mine operators, MSHA, and state regulators are more aware of the risk factors and often specify extra support in pillar recovery sections. 6.2.11 Support Technology Optimization Program (STOP) Design Software New mine roof support products with distinct performance characteristics are developed each year. The performance characteristics and limitations of these support systems are evaluated through full-scale testing in the NIOSH mine roof simulator at the Pittsburgh Research Laboratory. This information provides the basis for which these support systems are considered for specific applications by mining companies and approved for use by MSHA. 71
To facilitate the application of these technologies to improve mine safety, NIOSH developed the Support Technology Optimization Program (STOP). STOP is a Windows-based software program that provides mine operators with a simple and practical tool to make engineering decisions about the selection and placement strategy of these various mine roof support technologies. STOP can provide an engineering foundation to ensure that inadequate support designs, as well as ultraconservative support applications, are avoided. Safety is improved by matching support performance to mine conditions, reducing the likelihood of roof falls and blocked travel and escapeways. Training workshops on the use of the STOP software have been held in eight states. More than 1,000 copies of the STOP software program have been distributed through these technology transfer seminars and from software download from the NIOSH webpage. The program has been used internationally in Mexico, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and the Republic of South Africa. 6.3 Advancements in Mine Fires and Explosions Research 6.3.1 Coal Dust Explosibility Meter Coal dust explosions are prevented by the addition of incombustible rock dust sufficient to render the coal dust inert. The Coal Dust Explosibility Meter (CDEM) is a hand-held instrument that provides instantaneous results of incombustible content instead of operators having to wait weeks for laboratory results from MSHA (see Figure 41). With real-time results, the potential for a disaster can be mitigated immediately. This meter can quickly determine the explosibility and the incombustible content of coal and rock dust mixtures in coal mines, thereby improving sample analysis and rock dusting practices. Figure 41. Coal Dust Explosibility Meter. 72
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Department of Health and Human Serv
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4.3.7 Spokane Mining Research Labor
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Figure 26. Joy loading machine in 1
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2p REL SCSR SMCRA SRL STOP TC U.S.
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The origins of the USBM were in the
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Figure 3. Headline from the 1907 Mo
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Figure 6. Plaque commemorating the
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Figure 8. Official seal of the Unit
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Figure 20. The USBM’s Forbes Aven
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One Hundred Years of Federal Mining Safety and Health Research

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