Identification of safety hazards in Indian underground coal mines

To improve safety the application of effective risk management has become a requirement in the mining industry. The effectiveness of mining risk management essentially depends on the risk assessment process, as the output of the risk assessment process helps the mine management to decide upon the control measures to be employed to mitigate the risks identified in the mine. The application of risk assessment in mines has become important not only for ensuring a safe working environment but, also, it is now a legal requirement. The capability of a risk assessment process depends on the hazard identification phase, as unidentified hazards may lead to unknown and unmanageable risks. Therefore, it is essential to identify all the potential hazards to manage the risks in mines. The object of this study is to identify the safety hazards present in Indian underground coal mines and to build a preliminary database of the identified hazards. Accident data collected from the Directorate General of Mines Safety in India and a public sector coal mining company was studied to identify safety hazards that may probably lead to accidents. The database could help the mine management to improve decision making after analysing and evaluating the safety risks of identified hazards.