HARRISBURG – Tests performed on a sampling of the self-contained self-rescuers that Pennsylvania’s underground mine inspectors carry with them to provide life-saving oxygen in the event of an emergency showed all units were functional.
“Pennsylvania has a rigorous mine safety program,” Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty said. “Maintaining that high standard requires constant vigilance. These voluntary tests confirm that our inspectors are fully equipped to tackle any challenge.”
The tests were prompted by reports identifying problems with the West Virginia Office of Miners Health Safety and Training mine inspectors’ emergency air packs. According to the August report, nine of Monroeville-based CSE Corp.’s SR-100 SCSRs were exposed to extreme heat and found to have decay and other problems. The tests were conducted on a breathing simulator at Ocenco Inc. in Wisconsin, which also manufactures SCSRs.
DEP immediately took a proactive approach and scheduled a random test on SCSRs used by Pennsylvania mine inspectors to determine if a problem existed here.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and CSE tested 13 units from the commonwealth Sept. 13-15. The results showed that all units were functional. One SCSR would have required the person wearing it to breathe into the unit to fully inflate the breathing bag, but it still would have functioned properly in an emergency situation.
The test protocol met NIOSH standards for certification of self-contained self-rescuers.
Kentucky also had units tested at NIOSH and CSE, with results similar to those for Pennsylvania. NIOSH also tested units that the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration collected from their field inspectors throughout the country, and the results were similar to those for Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
In the spring, after fatal accidents in West Virginia and Kentucky, MSHA promulgated new federal standards — now under way in Pennsylvania and other regions — that require mine operators to conduct self-contained self-rescuer testing and provide miners with training on the units every 90 days. The previous training requirement was once a year.
This action resulted from reports that miners involved in those accidents had operable units that may not have been activated, deployed or used properly. The most recent tests focused specifically on units used by mine inspectors.
Taken together, the reports and test results reinforce the need for greater attention on inspection, maintenance and training, especially where miners practice activating and donning the emergency packs to ensure their familiarity with the units in the event of a real emergency.
Miner training and SCSR testing has been ongoing in Pennsylvania since the spring. The commonwealth now also specifically requires SCSR testing and training every 90 days for its mine inspection staff.
In February, after the tragedies in West Virginia and Kentucky, Gov. Edward G. Rendell ordered a re-inspection of 35 underground bituminous mines and 34 underground anthracite and industrial mineral mines in Pennsylvania. The re-inspection, which covered approximately 4,700 miners, found the mines to be operating safely.
The enhanced inspections were conducted by DEP’s Bureau of Mine Safety and targeted working sections, seals, escape ways and electrical equipment. The re-inspections were carried out in conjunction with MSHA, which targeted belt conveyor entries.
Since taking office, Rendell has implemented a series of changes to enhance mine safety, including revising mine permitting and inspection procedures so DEP’s mine safety experts play a direct role, putting in place stringent requirements for verification of underground mine maps and revising training protocols for mine safety personnel.
The governor also has proposed legislative changes to create a Mine Safety Board with the authority to develop and adopt regulations to keep pace with changing mine safety technology, make the mine operator/owner primarily responsible for safety compliance at the mine and allow the department to assess fines and penalties for noncompliance.
The General Assembly has yet to act on the governor’s changes, which were first proposed in July 2004 and introduced in the House and Senate in fall 2005. Because the Legislature adjourned its two-year session without acting on the bills, the measure must be re-introduced in January.