Emergency Preparedness and Response System in Indian Coal Mines—A Suggested Approach on the Basis of Case Studies

摘要

A statistical analysis of major coal mining accidents in last century revealed that about 255 numbers of incidences caused 3127 fatalities. An introspection into the findings of the inquest conducted to ascertain the cause and circumstances leading to some of the major accidents/ disasters revealed that most of them were caused by human failures not recognized by the existing controls of the system and in essence, preventable. The Integrated Emergency Response System (IERS) is a concept devised in line with Australian practices to deal emergencies of diverse kind, in different industries including mining. Two case studies were taken up in two coal mines of Jharia and Kamti Coalfield, to ascertain its efficacy and applicability in Indian coal mines. The inferences drawn from the emergency exercises conducted in both the mines point to certain inherent drawbacks in the existing system and emphasize the fact that adoption of the doctrine of self-escape offers the best chance of survival to the underground personnel, when ably supported by an aided rescue strategy. An integrated approach for effecting a qualitative improvement in the emergency preparedness and response systems in Indian coal mines has been suggested.