Analysis of the Records of Work-Related Accidents in the Iranian Underground Coal Mines Form the Safety Point of View

Working in underground coal mines is considered as one of the most dangerous jobs due to the special work conditions, existence of too many risk factors and also the occurrence of various accidents. The aim of this study was to investigate and prioritize the causes of the accidents happened in underground coal mines in Iran.

In this descriptive-analytical study, 247 accidents occurred in the underground coal mines of three Iranian provinces during an 11-year period (2004-2015) were assessed to analyze and prioritize the causes of the accidents. The accidents were classified based on the US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) handbook and the data were analyzed using SPSS software tool.  

 76% and 24% of the accidents were occurred in the exploration phase and in the preparation of exploration workshop, respectively, where the highest percentage frequency of the accidents was related to the roof fall. According to results, roof fall in the exploration phase, the installation of fortification and maintenance activities were reported as the most important immediate causes of the accidents. Lack of hazard identification studies was also reported as the most important root cause of the accidents occurrence.   

Instability of the workshop roof, as the most important intermediate cause, could effectively be improved by strengthening the roof support system and modifying the existing technology in mines. It is also necessary to highlight the hazard identification process and the implementation of control measures in mine management plan to prevent the occurrence of the accidents and to reduce their consequences.