ECSC safety in mines programme: Final report
The final report of the ECSC second research programme "Safety in Mines" (1982-1988) reviews the progress made in safety research projects receiving financial aid from the Community and gives details of results. The Commission allocated the programme (administered by the Directorate-General for Employment, Industrial Relations and Social Affairs, DG V) a total financial appropriation of ECU 12.5 million, to be distributed over at least five years beginning in 1982. During this time, financial assistance was granted to seventy-nine research projects grouped under eleven sectors. The report is presented by sector. A description and review of the individual projects is preceded by a brief commentary introducing each of the eleven areas of research: - Human factors and safety; - Fires and underground combustion; - Explosions; - Rescue; - Monitoring; - Telemetry; - Automation and communication; - Transport and handling; - Electricity; - Materials technology; - Working methods; - Rock outbursts and instantaneous gas outbursts; - Surface operation. In addition, the report contains sections on: The role of the Commission in promoting safety in coal mines; a summary review of the report and its conclusions; a background to the need for a safety research programme (commenting on changes in mining strategies and technologies, the trend in accidents in Community mines, the determination of research priorities, and the dissemination of research results). The results obtained are considered both interesting and encouraging by technical supervisors, producers and workers, and have contributed to a significant decrease in the frequency of serious and fatal accidents in mining over the past few years.