Analytical information

The Head of the State Committee of Safety and Health at Work,
Doctor of Technical Science

The Safety in Coal mining industry is the Strategy of the State Policy

Since the coal became the strategic resource of the industrial development, the safety of coal miners at work places became the strategy of the state policy. The deeper the coal miners had to work, the more significant the problem of safety became. Because in case of the accidents (the methane explosion and fires), the cost of the coal mines’ renovation appears to be very high.

The History of the establishment of the Committee of Health and Safety at Work of Ukraine

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the administration reform that took place in Ukraine created the inspections on the supervision of the labour safety of the high risk objects in mining industry. The number of qualified workers though was reduced. In this way the state and society showed their unawareness of the importance of the labour safety. The Department of Labour Safety within the structure of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine did not have powers to prevent all the accidents that took place at that time in Ukraine, and in this way it was not responsible for some very important and necessary issues of labour safety. The work of the Department was not about how to prevent the accidents, but mostly was about the explanation of the tragedies that happened.

Only after the fatal accident at “Barakov mine” in 2000, when 80 miners died, the draft laws on the improvement of labour safety inspections were given. That enabled to provide every mine with the inspector of labour safety.

But that was mostly about the regional policy and did not raise public awareness of the necessity to create the state supervision of the labour safety. The first significant step was after the creation of the Committee of Health and Safety at Work of Ukraine in September 2002.

Main problems

The main problems of the safety in mining industry are the unsatisfactory conditions of the mines’ funds, the imperfection of the technologies, the depth of the mining (more than 14 % of the mines are working below 1 km), and the lack of financial support of the research in the mining labour safety sphere. In this regard, the issue of productivity and efficiency of the mines should go hand in hand with the labour safety supervision. Because every year more than 300 miners die from the fatal accidents and more than 12000 miners suffer from industrial diseases.

One of the examples that proves the possibility to reduce the level of fatalities and shows the effectiveness of the work is in the United States of America, where the level of the injured in mining industry is not higher than in other industries.

For example, the West Virginia’s coal mine “Consol” was a success due to having no fatalities during 9 months and producing 3, 5 mln tones of coal.
The problems of Ukrainian mining industry are the lack of qualified engineers of labour safety and lack of financial support.

The methane explosion

But still the biggest enemy of the miners is the methane gas. During the last 10 years, 38 explosions of dust and gas took place in Ukrainian mines. The average level of degasation is only 17% of coal mines. The technology of degasation may appear to be cost-ineffective, but putting it to the industrial producing will become profitable. The example of the US’ experience was one of the issues of the mutual cooperation with Ukraine. The project of the cooperation included the supply of the mines with the rock dusters in order to prevent the coal dust explosions and fires. The negotiations on the issue of the supply of the drilling technologies are being held.

The suggestion to the Ukrainian Government in this view would be the creation of the motivation for the foreign investors to work in Ukraine.

The issue of the social support of the injured

In the sphere of the social support of the injured in the coal mining industry, the Fund of the social insurance of the industrial injuries and work diseases of Ukraine does pay to those who are injured or suffer from industrial diseases, but what about the problem of the prevention, the reasons of the diseases?
The Committee suggests that The Fund should also take into account the problem of the prevention measures – like raising the awareness or the culture of safety and health at work.

The issue of the ownership of the coal mines

This may sound strange but until now the problem of property in Ukraine has not been settled. This is obvious and evident that the enterprise and safety can’t be well and efficiently governed until the owner knows that he is the real owner and understands his responsibility for the people who are working.

The suggested ways out

• The installation of the modern technologies providing health and safety at work together with the high level of efficiency coal mining industry.

• The reduction of the miners’ staff, introducing the automatic technologies instead.

• The closing of the inefficient miners and social insurance of the unclaimed workers (miners).

• The development of the liquid mines.

• The financial support of qualified personnel.

• The financial support within the country and motivation of the foreign investors.

• The strategic supervision over the issue of labour safety by the regional inspectors and raising public awareness about the importance of the health and safety at work at the national level.

All the above – mentioned ways out will definitely change the situation of safety at work for the better which will prove that if the source (people, coal) is of a great importance, the state is bound to put it forward as the strategy of its public policy.

Dynamics of the industrial injury in districts (2002)