Underground Mine Hazards

Module – o1

Sir Padampat Singhania University,

Udaipur, Rajasthan 1
 Lesson Plan : Module - I

No. of
S. No. Content Lectures

Fires: Classification of fires; Causes, detection, monitoring and control

of surface and underground fires
1. 2

fire extinguishers, Preventive measures; Fire-fighting - direct methods

2. 2

sealing off and intersection, firefighting organizations Monitoring of

3. atmosphere behind sealed- off areas 1

Precautions to be taken before reopening. Methods of reopening, Case

4 histories 2

Sir Padampat Singhania University,

Udaipur, Rajasthan 2
Mining Hazards …

Sir Padampat Singhania University,

Udaipur, Rajasthan 3
Mining Hazards

Of course Mining is hazardous profession…. Hence our endeavor is to bring down

the hazards by all available means to an acceptable level must continue

Why…??

 The job involves the extraction of precious stones and minerals deep within the

earth.

 In addition, miners use heavy machinery and other specialized equipment and

tools that can be risky to operate.

 Mining is considered as toughest job next to Army in USA!!

Sir Padampat Singhania University,

Udaipur, Rajasthan 4
Mining Hazards

Indian Scenario…

 The Mining Industry in India is a major economic activity which contributes to

the major economy of India

 Since Mining in India is not fully mechanized, mine hazards prevail more

commonly

 Hence Indian Government established an organized body called DGMS in

Dhanbad, Jharkhand

Sir Padampat Singhania University,

Udaipur, Rajasthan 5
Trend in Fatal Accidents & Death Rates in Coal Mines

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Udaipur, Rajasthan 6
Some Hazards that Miners face
 Cave-ins, Ground and Rock Fall

 Side fall and collapse of Pillars

 Gas Explosions

 Chemical Leaks

 Electrocution

 Fires

 Ground Movements

 Haulages and Machinery

 Miscellaneous

Sir Padampat Singhania University,

Udaipur, Rajasthan 7
Mine Fires

To start fire following conditions are essential:

 Presence of combustible material.

 Presence of a source of ignition of sufficient intensity of heat.

 Presence of oxygen.

 Contact of combustible material and source of ignition for some time

Sir Padampat Singhania University,

Udaipur, Rajasthan 8
Classification of Fires

Indian standards specifications classifies fire as follows.

1] CLASS A FIRES

2] CLASS B FIRES

3] CLASS C FIRES

4] CLASS D FIRES

5] CLASS E FIRES

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Udaipur, Rajasthan 9
Classification of Fires

Class A Fires : These fire involve combustible material Eg. Timber, Coal, Rubber,

Conveyor belt other carbonaceous material

Class B Fires : These fires involve inflammable liquids e.g. Lubrication oils, Diesel,

Petrol and other fuel oils and greases etc.

Class C Fires: These fires involve gaseous fuels like LPG gas, Butane etc.

Class D Fires : These are metal fires such as melting iron, etc.

Class E Fires: These fire involve live electrical equipment such as electric motors,

Generators cables, oil-filled transformers, circuits breaker, electronic

equipment
Sir Padampat Singhania University,
Udaipur, Rajasthan 10
Causes of Mine Fire

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Udaipur, Rajasthan 11
Causes of Mine Fire

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Udaipur, Rajasthan 12
Causes of Mine Fire

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Detection of Mine Fire

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Monitoring of Surface Fires
1. Fire in store yards, engine houses .etc (the causes of such fires are generally.)
 Electrical :Short circuiting of electrical wiring, sparks from welding apparatus of
electric motors and equipment.
 Embers of coal or other fires: Insufficient care negligence cases spread of fire
due to these reasons.
 Carelessly thrown cigarette at places containing kerosene oil, lubricating oil,
grease, Oil-soaked cotton waste, paper and other combustible material.
 Hot surfaces: Hot surfaces of electrical motors, steam engines or internal
combustion engines in contact with combustible material: hot wooden brake
blocks of winders and other engines.

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Udaipur, Rajasthan 15
Safety Measures against Fire Accidents:

 No petrol power equipment must be permitted

 Hard held extinguishers should be provided in various places in mines

 All underground equipment containing more than 100 liters of flammable

hydraulic fluid must be fitted with an automatic suppression system with

suitable manual activation

 Storage of flammable substances must be minimized.

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Dealing with Fires in Surface Coal Stock

 Steam rising from a coal stock is a warning that heating is taking place.

Presence of moisture on surface of coal stock early in the morning or late in the

evening should not be mistaken for “dew” these are indications of the start of

hearing . Observation of the temperature is of course the most reliable way to

detect heating.

 Seat of heating in a coal stock is nearly 0.6 to 1.5 m below the surface of stock.

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Dealing with Fires in Surface Coal Stock

 The coal stock in which heating has stated should be drenched with water jets

under pressure. The quenched coal should be dug up and spread in thin layers

about 0.6m thick at another place and allowed to cool down. such cooled down

coal should be the first to be dispatched.

 Fire in the coal of bunkers(coal handing plant) can be prevented by keeping a

watch on the hearing which may take place if the coal is not dispatched due to

shortage of wagons.

Sir Padampat Singhania University,

Udaipur, Rajasthan 18
Monitoring & Prevention of Underground Fires
 Check the workers, before they proceed underground , for match box,
cigarettes, biris, cigarette lighters and other contrabands. This is required under
the coal mining regulations.
 Do not allow burning of fires inside mine(non-coal mine) and within 15m of an
incline/pit.
 Avoid welding of the headgear pulley or the headgear frame unless proper
precautions are taken. Such welding in the case of coal mine requires previous
permission of the D.G.M.S
 Avoid welding in underground repair shop Without adequate precautions. if
any repair shop/workshop is to be provided underground in coal mine prior
approval of the D.G.M.S
Sir Padampat Singhania University,
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Major Fire Accidents in History

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Udaipur, Rajasthan 20
Fire Fighting Methods

The common methods of mine fire fighting are given below:-

1. Fighting by Direct method

2. Fighting by indirect method

2.A Isolation of the Fire

2.B Sealing the fire area or the entire mine

3. Flooding the fire area or the entire mine

4. Flushing the fire area with sand or other suitable solid materials conveyed with
water

5. Introducing an inert gas into the fire area

6. Special method of fire fighting

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Fire Fighting by Direct Method
When fighting fire directly the quantity of air reaching the fire must be controlled
so that the fire doesn’t intensify or propagate unnecessarily in the direction of air
current.

Some of the fire fighting facilities are:-

1. Water mains or water lines

2. Sprinkler system

3. Truck mounted water tanks

4. Fire extinguishers

5. Stone dust, sand , dry chemical

6. Miscellaneous fire fighting materials and tools

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Udaipur, Rajasthan 22
Probable Fire Extinguishers
Fire extinguishers are extremely handy when fighting fires at places which are not
connected with water mains. The common fire fighting extinguishers are given
below:-

1. Soda acid extinguishers

2. Foam extinguishers

2.A Chemical foam extinguishers

2.B Mechanical or air-foam extinguishers

3. Carbon dioxide snow extinguishers

4. Dry chemical extinguishers

5. Multipurpose dry chemical (dry powder) extinguishers

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Udaipur, Rajasthan 23
Soda Acid Extinguishers

It consists of a lead coated steel cylinder full of solution of soda bicarbonate

and a hermeneutically sealed of sulphuric acid placed inside a
cage in the extinguisher.

A spring-loaded plunger protruding outside the

cylinder is so placed that when the plunger is struck against a hard
Surface it breaks the glass bottle of acid and the sulphuric acid
reacts with sodium bicarbonate solution generating CO2 gas.

The gas under pressure forces the mixture of water and

sodium bicarbonate up a tube and a nozzle to 6-8 m
for initial 60 seconds in a 9-litre extinguisher and the
total duration of discharge is 60-120 sec.

Such fire extinguisher is suitable for only class ‘ A ' fires

and is not recommended for class ' B ' fires. it
is prohibited by the mining regulations for quenching class “ E ”tires.

Sir Padampat Singhania University,

Udaipur, Rajasthan 24
Water CO2 Extinguishers

It consists of a steel cylinder coated inside with copper and

containing, water and a charge of high-pressure CO2 in a separate
small sealed container of copper placed within the main cylinder.

A spring-loaded plunger protruding outside the main cylinder

is provided at the top of this small CO2 container.

It is effective for Class‘ A ' fires only but not recommended

for class ‘ B ’ fires and totally prohibited for class ' C' fires.

Sir Padampat Singhania University,

Udaipur, Rajasthan 25
Foam Extinguishers

ln this extinguisher the foam produced during its operation

forms a blanket on the and flame and smothers the fire by
stopping access of air. A foam type extinguisher is not permitted
for dealing with class ' C ' fires as the foam is a conductor of
electricity but it is well suited for class ' A ' and class ‘ B ' fires.

There are two types of foam type fire extinguishers:

1 Chemical foam extinguishers and

2 Air foam extinguishers

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Udaipur, Rajasthan 26
CO2 Extinguishers
lt consists of a cylinder having one to five kg of CO2, in liquefied
form under high pressure which can be released
during use by operation of a wheel valve mounted on its top
as in the case of the familiar indane gas cylinder used for domestic cooking.

This is by far the simplest portable fire

extinguisher and has the advantage that
it can be used or fire of any class including
electrical tires.

CO2 has the property of quenching the fire and

the gas leaving the extinguisher is at a very
low temperature so that it exerts a cooling
effect on the burning material.

The CO2 gas extinguisher are available with capacities of 7 kg , 10 kg , 20 kg,

45 kg in trolley mounted models. Smaller size extinguisher of 2 kg
capacity cart be carried on a coal cutting machine for use in
the event of fire in the undercut of a coal cutting machine.
Sir Padampat Singhania University,
Udaipur, Rajasthan 27
Dry Powder Extinguishers
An extinguisher of this type can be used for dealing with fire of any type including
electrical fire. It contains a fire quenching powder and a container of high pressure
CO2, both placed inside a cylinder.

The dry powder is a mixture of chemicals consisting of mono ammonium phosphate as

the main ingredient and other chemicals which have anti-setting and water repellent
properties. The powder has very little cooling effect on the fire.

Dry chemical fire extinguishers are available in capacities of 1 to 12 kg of dry powder.

The trolley mounted units are available in 25 and 50 kg capacity models.

To put the extinguisher in operation. strike the knob or plunger rod against a hard
surface. This releases the high pressure CO2 into the chamber containing dry chemical
powder which is shot out of the cylinder under the gas pressure. The powder is
discharged in it fan shaped cloud and it settles on the surface of the burning
material or liquid and stops access of oxygen to it.

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Fire Fighting by Indirect Method
When it is no more possible or it useless to extinguish an open or incipient fire by
direct attack within a reasonable time ,one takes resource to indirect fire-fighting
by isolation or sealing off the area from the rest of the mine working and air
currents so that the fire doesn’t spread further but extinguished due to lack of
oxygen.

Some of the indirect fire fighting methods are:-

1. Isolation of the fire
2. Sealing off the fire area
3. Temporary stopping
3.A wooden stopping 3.B Double boarded stopping
3.C Glass wool or Rockwall stopping 3.D Concrete and fly ash stopping

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Cont..
4. Permanente Stopping = In this quick sealing without temporary stoppings,
explosion proof steel fire doors and wedge stoppings of hard wood or concrete may
be used.

4.A Wooden or concrete block wedge stopping

4.B Gypsum stoppings

4.C sealing off the entire area

4.D Flooding the entire area or the entire mine

4.E Hydraulic Flushing

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Sealing off the Fire Area:
Selection of sites for stopping: Correct siting of stopping is very important. In
selecting the site, the following points should be considered.

1. Distance from fire

2. Minimum number of stopping

3. Roof ground conditions

4. Space for reinforcement

5. Transport facilities

6. Ventilation

7. Accessibility for inspection

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Cont..
An area under fire in a mine must be sealed off in the following cases.
a) when the fire has attained so large proportions that it cannot be extinguished by
the simple methods of fire fighting.
b) When the fire is in accessible as in the case of spontaneous heating or fire in a roof
or in a crushed zone or near fault plane where methods of direct
attack fails.
c) When there is possibility of occurrence of an explosion.

The aim is to prevent access of air to the fire and starve it of oxygen, provided the
stopping are not leaking.

In indirect method the stoppings constructed to seal a fire area are of the following
types depending upon the purpose they serve.

1 Preparatory stopping
2 Frequency sopping or temporary stopping
3 Permanent stopping
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Cont..
Preparatory stopping:

• These are partially constructed on the main entries leading to a

district before depillaring is undertaken.
• After the depillaring operations are over such stopping are fully
constructed to isolate the depillared area.
• They are therefore, called “isolation stopping”.
• Bricks and other materials are kept in readings at such stopping
sites.
• These should be provided either for caving method or stowing
method of depillaring.
• This stopping should be provided with an iron door which can
be taken off the hinges and kept beside the stopping.
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Cont..

• In case of an emergency like fire the door is very handy in

isolating the panel from the rest of the mine.
• An isolation stopping in category I and ll gassy coal mines
should be of a minimum thickness of 1m brick in cement or
lime.
• Regular air samples should be taken from behind the sealed
off area.
• Whenever it is found that the CH4 is 2 % or more, the stopping
must be strengthened to make it explosion proof.
• ln category lll grassy coal mines an isolation stopping should
be explosion proof.

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Frequency stopping or temporary stoppings

• These are constructed after heating or fire is detected such

stoppings are required where preparatory or isolation
stopping had not been constructed.
• The purpose of an emergency stopping is to seal an area
immediately and prevent access of air to the fire which dies
down in course of time.
• It also prevents the heat , smoke and flames from reaching the
places where permanent stopping must be constructed.
• These must be built at places where there are no ground
movements and cracks.

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Udaipur, Rajasthan 35
Construction of temporary stopping:

• Stopping made by nailing wooden planks to timber props.

• Stopping made of C.G.l sheets fastened to timber or rail props
of sand or stone dust bags behind them.
• lf stone of ripping is available underground a pack wall of
stone plastered with earth or cement.
• If sufficient bricks are available underground a stopping of
brick in mud.
• A stopping consisting of a close-knit wire mesh stretched
across the roadway and sprayed with latex sealant.
• A prefabricated stopping of tongued and grooved wooden
boards.
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Sand Bag Stopping:

• This is common and easily constructed.

• Empty cement bags are filled to half their capacity with earth.
• Such half-filled bags are easy to carry, and they make a
compact pack wall when piled one over another.
• The surface of the pack wall is plastered with earth or cement.

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 Permanent stopping

• Permanent stopping of brick in cement or lime is constructed out

bye of the temporary stopping after a lapse of nearly 48 hours.
• A permanent stopping is the last step to seal off an area and the
work should be reliable.
• The place selected should be free from cracks and having a
minimum cross-section.
• The stopping should extend well into the floor sides and roof.
• For this purpose, the cutting should be by miners' picks.
• The thickness of the stopping is nearly 1m near the roof and it
increases by roof and it increases by 15cm for every 3m of height.
• The out-bye side should be plastered and whitewashed for every
detection of cracks.

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 Gypsum stopping:

• These are constructed of a quick setting gypsum.

• This type of stopping consists of two tight shuttering between
which is injected dry gypsum powder by compressed air driven
generating machine.
• Water is also added up to form a slurry which soon sets and
forms a hard mass.
• The recommended thickness of stopping is 2m for roadway
height up to 3m, 2.5m for roadway height up to 3.5m.
• For every m3 of stopping volume about 1.3 tonne of gypsum and
1m3 of water is required .
• A sampling pipe is to be provided through both the shuttering.

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 Combined Brick and Sand Stopping
• This process considers the seal of the entire area.
• During the construction of sand bags stopping air supply to the fire area
is maintained by providing two steel pipes, nearly 400mm dia. in them.
• At the time of final sealing of the stopping the two steel pipes are
closed by pulling a previously prepared sand bag plug with the end of
thin wire rope.
• To prevent the sand bags from slipping and falling over C.G.l sheets
backed by the steel rails are erected on the fire side of the stopping.
• Two holes 400mm dia. are left in the C.G.l sheets for air tubes, in
addition a hole 50mm dia. is left for sampling pipe.
• The sampling bag is reinforced on the out-bye side by C.G.l sheets
propped up by the vertical rails or props.
• Such stopping is sufficient strong and is not likely to be blown out by an
explosion near the fire site.

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 Combined Brick and Sand Stopping

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 Combined Brick and Sand Stopping

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 Combined Brick and Sand Stopping
• A sampling pipe with valve has to be provided on the robust
sand bag stopping .
• Final sealing of the stopping, one on the intake side and the
other on the return side is affected simultaneously with the help
of synchronized wrist watches.
• During the process of sealing the atmosphere near the stopping
should be tested frequently by CO detectors and flame safety
lamps.
• After the sealing all the workers engaged on the job should be
withdrawn out of the mine.
• There is possibility of gas explosion within 24-48 hours of sealing
and the mine conditions should be watched during that period.
• After the expiry of 48 hours air samples from behind the
stopping should be drawn and analyzed on the surface.
Sir Padampat Singhania University,
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 Reopening of a sealed of area
There are four methods used in reopening sealed-off areas in a
mine:
(1) the direct method in which the stoppings are breached, and air
is circulated around the district without previous inspection by a
rescue team
(2) the prior-inspection method in which prior inspection of the
whole district by a rescue team is followed by circulation of air
around the district
(3) the stage method in which the ventilation is restored, and the
enclosed gases are removed in successive stages
(4) the partial-reopening method which is adopted when it is
required to recover part of a district but leave the remainder
sealed off

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Udaipur, Rajasthan 44
 Consideration when Reopening of a sealed off area
The reopening of a mine area should not be undertaken lightly
following factors should be consider in mind before reopening of a
sealed off area.

1. Extent and intensity of fire at the time of sealing.

2. Nature of burning material and adjacent strata.
3. Airtightness of stoppings and the sealed of area.
4. Composition of atmosphere in sealed of area.
5. Inert gas injection.

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Udaipur, Rajasthan 45
 Methods of Reopening

For reopening a sealed off area one of the following methods may
be consider

1. Reopening by Reventilation
2. Reopening by air locking in stages
3. Combination of above two.

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 Reopening by Reventilation

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 Cont..

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Sir Padampat Singhania University,
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 Reopening by Air locking in stages

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 Reopening by Air locking in stages

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