Modern mining rescue considering organizational and technical conditions changing in hard coal mines in poland. Status and prospects

Purpose: the main purpose of the article is to underline importance of updating knowledge by mine rescuers related to deteriorating geological conditions of mines, that can lead to accidents and events that result in serious disasters. Design/methodology/approach: theses presented in the article have been verified using: literature review, critical literature analysis, document research and comparative analysis. Findings: based on content of this article, mining rescue will be considered as the most important aspect of the entire occupational safety system. The main element in mine rescue is the lifeguard-specialist, who has unique and constantly improving qualifications and professional competences. Hence, the role and quality of mining rescue should be assessed not only in the scope of the tasks that it has to perform, but also perhaps even more importantly, in relation to new challenges that require the constant adaptation of mining rescue to fit dynamically changing organizational and technical conditions, both underground and on the surface of the mine. Originality/value: the article enriches knowledge and develops discussion in the area of mining rescue. Thanks to the knowledge presented in the article, it can be concluded that role and the rank of mining rescue lies not only in the dimension of tasks that it has to perform, but also importantly in the dimension of new challenges that determine the need to constantly adapt mining rescue to dynamically changing organizational and technical conditions, both underground and on the surface of mine sites.