Roof falls: An inherent risk in underground coal mining

The occurrence of rock falls in underground coal mines entails detrimental effects as fatal or non-fatal injuries on workers, stoppages in mining operations and breakdown of equipment. In this paper, a risk assessment approach on the basis of a decision analysis trend is employed in order to assess the possibility of and manage roof falls. Risk is then assessed by determination of likelihood of occurrence and the cost of consequences (outcomes). In this regard, collected real roof fall data from Tabas and Kerman coal regions comprising of several underground coal mines are used. It is concluded that the annual accidents due to the roof falls occurrence in the all investigated mines are so high that it is economically feasible to improve the support systems and to implement a suitable educational program as well as an accurate supervision and other elements of safety management. Introduction Mining can be a particularly hazardous profession because of the nature of work carried out. Furthermore, it is generally expected by mining engineers that the total risk involved in working in underground coal mines is substantially higher than that of other types of mines such as construction stones, sand and gravel and metalliferous minerals. Injuries, fatal or non-fatal, could result from the presence of dusts and gases, fires and explosives, slips, falls, interaction with machinery, confined working spaces, repetitive work, vibrations, and many other sources. Accidents and diseases can impose a high cost to the mining operations not only in the direct costs of accidents but also because of the production losses during the stoppage and also the reduction in productivity that follows an accident and of course the potential for liability claims. In the past few years some 760,000 claims have been made (The Times 2009) by former coal mines workers to the judicial system against UK government. These claims, being only for respiratory diseases, have cost the British government GBP 8 Billion (USD 13 Billion). Effective health and safety management begins with its acceptance of the