Safety culture among mine employees

The article discusses the results of research on the level of safety culture conducted in the form of a questionnaire survey in five different groups of employees in an underground hard coal mining plant. The survey included nine thematic groups with five questions each. Using the Likiert scale method, the safety climate in the company was assessed.

Explosive atmosphere ignition source identification during mining plant suspended monorail braking unit operation

Coal dust and methane explosions are some of the most common causes of mining disasters in hard coal mines all over the world, and research continues to be conducted with the purpose of understanding the mechanisms of an explosion, explosion prevention and risk reduction. This article presents the test methodology as well as virtual and bench test results for a braking unit, which constitutes one of the main components of a suspended monorail transport system. The design work and virtual and bench testing were performed as part of a European research programme. The tests were conducted in a dedicated specialist test facility. The tests were based on Polish standard PN-G-46860:2011, concerning braking trolleys employed in mining plant suspended railway systems. The tests also factored in the requirements for non-electrical devices intended for use in explosive atmospheres, including braking systems, as defined in standard PN-EN ISO 80079-36:2016, harmonised with the ATEX directive. The test scope encompassed braking unit operational component temperature measurements using thermal imaging and the contact method, as well as braking distance measurements. Further tests involved virtual simulations of brake pad heating. The tests employed the finite element method (time-varying calculations). Results obtained over the course of numerical calculations indicate that brief brake pad friction face heating, even up to a temperature exceeding 200C, does not result in inward heat propagation towards the brake pad material. This is also confirmed by the measurement results. However, under real conditions, the braking unit would be engaged only during an emergency situation, which would not lead to exceeding the permissible brake shoe material temperature values.

Granice cywilnoprawnego obowiązku zapobiegania szkodom grożącym wskutek ruchu zakładu górniczego — studium przypadku

The subject of the considerations contained in the article is the analysis of selected issues related to the legal regulation regarding the civil law obligation to prevent damage that may result from mining plant operations. It is about the regulations contained in the Act of June 9, 2011, Geological and Mining Law, and to a certain extent also in the Act of April 23, 1964, the Civil Code. This analysis includes not only theoretical considerations, but also refers to the practice of applying the law. It contains a discussion and a critical assessment of the Supreme Court’s judgment of February 20, 2018.

Sustainable Social and Environmental Evaluation of Post-Industrial Facilities in a Closed Loop Perspective in Coal-Mining Areas in Poland

The article discusses issues related to the circular economy ideas applied to post-industrial facilities and infrastructure in Polish coal-mining areas. The aim of the article is to indicate directions for sustainability-oriented actions on reusing the remnants of closed mining plants and reshaping the areas which will be transformed under the just transition principles. For this purpose, the article reviews the terminology related to inventories of such facilities and their classification, and also indicates some locations of such facilities. The authors discuss the problem of legal regulations related to the process of closing a mining plant in Poland and also to EU guidelines on the allocation of financial resources from the Just Transition Fund (addressing the EU coal industry, climate change and the potential for clean energy solutions). This research aims at reviewing current research on the above aspects and at raising the problem of managing post-industrial facilities in light of their discontinued function due to mine closure. The article offers a preliminary diagnosis of the scale of research required to investigate the above problems in the view of the expected coal-exit in the Polish economy.

A Proposal of Rock Burst Control Measures at the Coalface No. 1 4064 at the Mining Plant 1, in OKD, A. S. Czech Republic

The paper describes a proposal of rock burst control measures for excavation and mining of the area the Coalface No. 1 4064, which is located in the 1st mining block of the Mining Plant 1, locality Karviná. It is an area that has been left in place as a protective area for safety reasons due to the high risk of rock bursts, and it is bordered on both sides by old workings.The aim of the proposal is to extract the retained area by using rock burst control measures to reduce this risk. As a measure, extensive disintegration of the rock massif in the overlying rocks of the seam by blasting works was chosen, both in driving mine workings and in mining of the coalface.The article describes the methods and scope of implementation of active and passive rock burst control measures in standard situations and in the case of detection of an unfavourable stress level.