QLD Mining and Energy Bulletin
Issue link: http://ebook.aprs.com.au/i/31843
– CHINA COAL MINE SAFETY DEMONSTRATION PROJECT T he management committee overseeing the Australia-China Coal Mine Safety Demonstration Project expects it will achieve its overall project objectives, writes Mark Everson. In March 2009 Simtars was appointed as managing contractor for the Australia-China Coal Mine Safety Demonstration Project. The project is jointly funded by the Australian Government, the Chinese Government and the mine itself. The mine selected for the project is the Xuandong No. 2 mine, one of 11 mines operated by the Zhangjiakou Mining Group – which in turn is part of the larger JiZhong Energy Group – a power generating company with some 30 coal mines. The mine’s main shaft is 1200 metres deep with current workings around 935 metres. The mine has two operating longwalls and a production target of 1.4 million tonnes coal per annum. Xuandong operates three shifts with approximately 400 workers underground per shift. Unlike most Australian mines it does not use diesel powered load-haul-dump style machinery but a small gauge train line and winch system to move equipment around the mine. The purpose of the project is to seek to identify and address the most pressing safety issues at the mine in a cost-effective way and develop a functioning and ongoing culture of safety committed to continuous improvement in mine safety. The overall objectives of the project are to: 1. Improve safety at the Xuandong No. 2 Mine. 2. Provide a model for achieving mine safety and health improvements at other Chinese coal mines. 3. 48 48 Strengthen co-operation between Australia and China on coal mine safety issues. QLD Mining and Energy Bulletin Winter 2011 After the initial selection of the mine the joint Australian Chinese management committee agreed to structure the project around eight core outcomes: 1. 2. 3. 4. Mine Site Study (safety audit) Risk Assessment Establish Safety Management System Implement Risk Assessment 5. Training 6. 7. Implement Technical Cooperation Disseminate Project Outcomes 8. Study Tours of Australian coal mining industry And to do this through work division and focus on the following fi ve areas: • Strata control • Ventilation and gas management • Gas drainage and outburst management • Operations and equipment • Emergency preparedness and emergency response Most of the 2009 calendar year was taken up with completing the safety audit and broad brush-risk assessment, along with developing a number of principal hazard management plans and conducting initial mine safety training. The training targeted employees from senior management down to section chiefs and supervisors, and in many cases included a study tour of the Australian coal mining industry. These trips proved to be very powerful motivators as the Chinese miners saw for themselves how Australian coal mines deal with safety issues on a day-to-day basis. In April 2010, the Project Steering Committee for the Australia–China Coal Mine Safety Demonstration Project met in Beijing to review the project’s progress and agree on future activities and funding for the project. The Project Steering Committee comprises senior representatives from the Queensland and New South Wales state governments; the Federal Department of Resource Energy and Tourism (RET); the Chinese State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS); Zhangjiakou Mining Group – owners of Xuandong mine; and representatives of the Xuandong mine management. Based on the outcomes and fi ndings of the work conducted in 2009, the committee agreed to continue to fund the project through till 30 June 2011 and to continue the work in accordance with the eight core outcomes and the fi ve operational areas of focus. The 2010-11 work plans contain 17 activities that will contribute to the projects core outcomes, one of which is to provide Xuandong mine with the framework of comprehensive and functional Safety Health and Management and System (SHMS). For the Australian team this means implementing the SHMS framework and leaving Xuandong mine with capacity to maintain and continue the development of the SHMS; continuing the mine safety training to include the average mine worker (all 2,000 of them) and the introduction of a number of technologies that have been identifi ed and agreed on with Xuandong mine management as being likely to make a signifi cant improvement to the Xuandong mines safety. Technology aside, the over-arching goal is the development of a safety culture at the Xuandong mine, to increase awareness of potential hazards, and a commitment to continuous improvement in mine safety. In terms of major hazards the key outcomes can be summarised as a reduction in the risk posed by: • Methane gas and coal dust explosion • Mine fi re COAL SAFETY REVIEW