Analysis of a Historical Accident in a Spanish Coal Mine

There has been a long history of coal mine accidents and these, usually, involve serious injuries, fatalities, and the destruction of facilities. In the seventies, an explosion killed 28 miners in a Spanish coal mine. This paper gives insight into the main factors of the accident by means of the cau...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2019-09, Vol.16 (19), p.3615
Main Authors: Sanmiquel-Pera, Lluís, Bascompta, Marc, Anticoi, Hernán Francisco
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accident analysis
Accident investigations
Accidents
Accidents, Occupational
Behavior
Causation
Coal mine accidents
Coal mines
Coal Mining
Economia i organització d'empreses
Emission measurements
Emissions
Enginyeria civil
Enginyeria de mines
Exploitation
Explosion
Fatalities
Gases
Humans
Legislation
Mine ventilation
Mines
Mines de carbó
Mining accidents & safety
Mining industry
Seguretat industrial
Spain
Spatial data
Ventilació
Ventilation
Workshops
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC
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Summary:There has been a long history of coal mine accidents and these, usually, involve serious injuries, fatalities, and the destruction of facilities. In the seventies, an explosion killed 28 miners in a Spanish coal mine. This paper gives insight into the main factors of the accident by means of the causation mode, using two well-known alternatives: (1) the method from the Spanish Instituto Nacional de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo (INSST), where the causes and circumstances of the accident are classified into immediate causes and basic causes, and (2) the Feyer and Williamson method, where the classification is done using precursor events and contributing factors. The analysis identifies the lessons to be learned from the disaster. Both methods have given very similar results, verifying the goodness of the analysis. Methane emissions due to a variation in the exploitation method, the electrical installation, and a lack of safety procedures and training were the main causes of the accident. These findings explain the real causes of this accident and can be very valuable for the prevention of future accidents.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph16193615