NIOSH Mining Training Exercise


Harry's Hard Choices: Mine Refuge Chamber Training

March 2009

See also: NIOSH mining products
Type: Paper and Pencil Exercise
Audience: Miners in annual refresher classes, trainers, responsible persons, command center personnel, original equipment manufacturers, researchers
Length: 33 questions

Harrys Hard Choices cover pageThis paper-and-pencil simulation is an interactive story that presents a scenario in which Harry Hamilton, a section foreman on a longwall setup section, must decide what to do when he learns there is a fire in his mine. As time goes on, Harry must face a series of choices about how best to increase his and his crew's chances for survival. The story is taken in part from real-life incidents.

The completion of this exercise can help new miners, experienced miners, trainers, and others who must deal with issues of self-rescue and escape become more aware of:

  • The need to gather as much information as possible as early as possible
  • The value of knowing one's escapeways
  • The need to use self-contained self-rescuers (SCSRs) properly
  • The value of a multigas detector in an emergency
  • When, and under what circumstances, to enter a refuge alternative
Materials needed:
Instructor Copy 1 copy for each trainer.
Problem Booklet 1 for each trainee or group of trainees.
Page last updated: May 5, 2009
Page last reviewed: March 30, 2009
Content Source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Mining Division