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 Printer-Friendly Version
MSHA News Release: [03/29/2006]
Contact Name: Dirk
Fillpot or Amy Louviere
Phone Number: (202) 693-4676 or x9423
Release
Number: 06-0568-PHI
MSHA, NIOSH to Hold April 18 Workshop on Mine Escape
Planning
Federal Agencies Working With West Virginia for April
20-21 Event
on Mine Safety Technology
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and
Health Administration (MSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health (NIOSH), will host a day-long workshop on mine escape planning and
emergency shelters Tuesday, April 18 in Washington, D.C. Working in conjunction
with the West Virginia Office of Governor Joe Manchin, MSHA and NIOSH will also
be among the cosponsors of a symposium on Mine Safety Technology April 20-21 in
Wheeling, W.Va.
"Helping miners safely evacuate mines during an emergency is a priority
for MSHA," said David G. Dye, acting administrator for MSHA. "The first
priority for any coal miner in an emergency should be to evacuate the mine, and
we want to ensure the most effective procedures are in place to help them
evacuate safely. We appreciate the experts who have provided support for this
event. We are also pleased to co-sponsor the international symposium on April
20-21 and are appreciative of the efforts of Governor Manchin and West Virginia
officials to highlight mine safety technology."
MSHA has worked very closely with the Office of Gov. Joe Manchin and
West Virginia to help seek out promising technologies to improve mine safety
following tragic mining accidents in the state this year.
The workshop will discuss mine escape planning, including a recent
history of mine escapes, warning systems and the use of self-rescue devices and
lifelines. Discussion on emergency shelters will include the history of the use
of emergency shelters, how mine design has changed since the 1980s, shelter
placement in the mine, configuration and construction, life support
instrumentation, communication, training and other issues.
The workshop will allow for an exchange of information among all
segments of the mining community involved with emergency preparedness in mining
and provide an agenda for technological research to improve mine safety.
The workshop will be held Tuesday, April 18 from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at
the National Academy of Sciences Auditorium, 2101 Constitution Ave. N.W.,
Washington, D.C. Interested parties can register at the workshop or
pre-register by contacting Yvonne Quinn with MSHA at (202) 693-9440, Donna
Opfer with NIOSH at (412) 386-6564, or John Sporrer with NIOSH at (412)
386-6435.
The Washington workshop will be followed by a mine safety conference of
international and national experts in Wheeling, W.Va.. On April 20-21, MSHA and
NIOSH will join the Office of Gov. Joe Manchin and the state of West Virginia
in co-sponsoring the International Mining Health and Safety Symposium at
Wheeling Jesuit University. The two-day symposium will focus on different, yet
critically important, topics including mine safety and emergency best
practices, the approval of mine equipment, international practices and rules
changes and, most especially, how to accelerate the adoption of emerging
state-of-the-art mine safety technologies, both from traditional sources and
through technologies developed for other applications by federal agencies such
as the Department of Defense, Department of Energy and National Aeronautics and
Space Administration.
People interested in attending the International Mining Health and
Safety Symposium can register by calling the Robert C. Byrd National Technology
Transfer Center at (800) 678-6882.
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