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MSHA News Release: [03/25/2004]
Contact Name: Suzy
Bohnert
Phone Number: (202) 693-9420
MSHA Assistant Secretary Lauriski Cites Cooperation,
Technology and Quick Decision-Making in Dotiki Mine Recovery
PROVIDENCE, Ky.—Cooperation, technology and quick decision-making
contributed to the unusually quick recovery of the Dotiki Mine following an
equipment fire in this underground coal operation, said Dave D. Lauriski,
assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health, as he visited the mine
today in Nebo, Ky. The fire began Feb. 11 and shut down the mine for three
weeks.
“We worked together to develop innovative solutions to problems
caused by this fire. As a result, Dotiki’s 360 miners were able to return
to work quickly and safely. Most importantly, not one miner or mine recovery
worker was injured during this effort,” said Lauriski. “Conventional
recovery methods usually require that recovery teams go underground to fight
mine fires, which often takes weeks or months. This mine’s evacuation plan
was implemented quickly and efficiently. This effort should stand as a model on
how industry and government can work together toward a common objective. In
this case, that objective was to safely recover the mine and return all miners
to their jobs.”
Personnel from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the
Kentucky Department of Mines and Minerals (KDMM) responded immediately to
assist Webster County Coal, LLC, in combating the fire at its mine. The blaze
started with a diesel supply tractor.
MSHA’s mine emergency operations team established surface
monitoring points in and around the area of the fire. The data it collected
assisted the company in developing a plan to install remote seals from the
mine’s surface. These temporary seals in the main passageways cut off the
air supply approximately 3.5 miles from the fire and isolated the fire from the
sealed mine works.
The remote seal plan required that 18 seals be pumped from the mine
surface, at an average depth of 620 feet. Seal locations were determined, and
five drill rigs then drilled 18 injection, five observation, and seven
monitoring holes. Surface drilling began on Feb. 12 and continued until Feb.
26. Inert gases were injected into the fire area and continuously monitored by
MSHA’s technical support personnel. Through inert injection and
state-of-the-art monitoring techniques, the team identified flow patterns
through the fire area. These flow patterns helped determine the most effective
sequence to install the remote seals. The injection of the remote seals began
on Feb. 20 and ended on Feb. 27.
Mine rescue teams from MSHA, KDMM and Alliance Coal, LLC, the parent
company of the mine, re-entered the mine on Feb. 28 to evaluate the atmosphere
and restore ventilation. After restoring ventilation, miners constructed 32
permanent seals around the fire area, finishing on March 3. A thorough
examination of the mine followed, allowing resumed coal production at Dotiki on
March 8.
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