Advances in Productive, Safe, and Responsible Coal Mining

Joseph Hirschi

• Publisher: Woodhead Publishing
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9780081013014
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Industrial Health & Safety
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Advances in Productive, Safe, and Responsible Coal Mining covers the latest advancements in coal mining technology and practices. It gives a comprehensive introduction to the latest research and technology developments, addressing problems and issues currently being faced, and is a valuable resource of complied technical information on the latest coal mining safety and health research. As coal's staying power has been at the forefront of the world's energy mix for more than a century, this book explores critical issues affecting coal mining, including how to maintain low-cost productivity, address health and safety hazards, and how to be responsible environmental stewards.

This book takes a holistic approach in addressing each issue from the perspective of its impact on the coal mining operation and industry as a whole.

• Explains how to effectively produce coal within existing environmental constraints
• Encapsulates the latest health and safety research and technological advances in the coal mining industry
• Written by authors who have developed the latest technology for coal mines

1

Profitable coal mining means being productive, safe, and environmentally responsible

Joseph C. Hirschi⁎^,†; Aaron S. Young^{‡ ⁎} Smart Solutions, Komatsu Mining Corporation, Mt. Vernon, IL, United States
^† Mining and Mineral Resources Engineering, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, United States
^‡ University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States

Abstract

Mining is a business, which means that coal mines must generate a profit or shut down. For decades, profitability has been primarily associated with productive activity, while compliance with safety and environmental regulations has generally been considered a nonproductive activity. The large decrease in the productivity of US coal miners following passage of the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act in 1969 seemed to support this concept. Fortunately, one of the outcomes of this and other safety legislation has been the requirement to report production and safety statistics providing a wealth of data for analysis. The more these data are analyzed, the more these seem to suggest a different theory—that focusing on improving safety and taking care of the environment leads to improved miner productivity. To illustrate this, 2015 mine production and total injury rates reported by the top 25 coal producers in the United States were analyzed using ordinary least squares and logarithmic regression methods. Models created by this type of analysis indicate that an increase in productivity is correlated with a reduction in the total incident rate for these mines. Relationships between environmental responsibility and mine safety and/or productivity are not as easily measured, but their importance cannot be overstated given the high visibility of mining when it comes to environmental impacts. Without clearly distinguishing the productive purpose behind every mining venture, it is difficult to economically justify the investment required to reclaim disturbed mine lands. Mining companies must display a strong commitment to environmental sustainability if they are to be granted all necessary permits required to operate.

Keywords

Profitability; Productivity; Safety; Environmental responsibility

1.1 Foundations of profitability

For those who keep their finger on the pulse of the coal-mining industry, a few names become very familiar. It doesn’t seem to matter whether one is reading a journal article spotlighting the most productive coal mines in the industry, browsing a web page recognizing the most recent Sentinels of Safety award recipients, or reading an email about coal mine operations receiving Excellence in Mine Reclamation awards. The same coal mines and coal-mining companies almost always rise to the top.

Coal mining is a business, and staying in business requires making a profit. The National Mining Association (NMA) is the self-proclaimed voice of the United States (US) mining industry in general and the coal-mining industry in particular. Their mission is to “build support for public policies that will help Americans fully and responsibly benefit from [its] abundant domestic coal and mineral resources” [1]. This is accomplished through being fully engaged in public (governmental) and private (business) processes that impact the mining industry's ability to safely and sustainably extract and process mineral resources in a profitable manner.

The NMA is one of the leading proponents of the CORESafety program, a business partnership among its member organizations, primarily mining companies. This program takes the approach that focusing on mine safety “is the right thing to do,” but it is also good business [2]. CORESafety is focused on preventing accidents and eliminating fatalities by establishing the 0:50:5 target for individual mines, entire companies, and the industry as a whole. That standard is to have “0 fatalities and a 50 % reduction in injury rates within 5 years” [3]. They cite US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) data in postulating that “safer mines are generally more productive” [2].

By its very nature, coal mining impacts the environment in ways that disturb its natural water cycle, decomposition, and erosion processes. While not as easy to statistically measure as are safety standards such as number of fatalities and injury rates, environmental impacts are arguably more visible. Therefore, it is important for the industry to show that these impacts have a productive purpose and will be mitigated in the long term. Regarding environmental sustainability, the NMA assists its membership in maintaining a strong commitment to “continuing the extraordinary progress that [has been] made in recent decades, with technological advancements that minimize mining's impact on the environment” [4].

Relationships between productivity, safety, and environmental responsibility are difficult to quantify; however, one does not need mathematical proof when common sense and gut feeling confirm that definite correlations exist. Even the untrained (with respect to mining) mainstream media can pick up on it, as illustrated by the following excerpts from a 2010 New York Times article [5] (company names have been removed at the authors’ discretion):

Coal mining carries inherent risks, but [a history of] numerous and very public violations and fatalities at [one] mine may leave the impression that all mines are run this way… They [are] not. A comparison [of] safety practices [at the mine with the long history of violations and fatalities] and those of other operators in the coal industry shows sharp differences… And the attention to safety — or the lack of it — has … measurable results: Compared with the industry average, workers [at mines with fewer violations] spent much less time away from work because of injury [i.e., are more productive]; workers [at mines with more violations] spent significantly more [time away from work; i.e., are less productive].

A coal mining company's profitability is in large measure determined by what its customers are willing to pay for the product it mines. Customers are generally electricity generators, many of which are either publicly traded companies or municipal utilities. These organizations are under close scrutiny by investors, regulators, communities in which they operate, and the public in general. Furthermore, mining companies are in constant competition with other mining companies and other industries for potential employees. All of these entities look at the coal mining company's safety and environmental records as indicators of the stewardship it maintains for its employees, the responsibility it takes for the environment, and the relationship it has with the surrounding community. Consequently, effective health, safety, and environmental programs and procedures can improve mine productivity and thereby business profitability [2].

1.2 Statistical comparison of safety versus productivity

In the United States, MSHA regulations require all coal mines to regularly report production; employment; and accidents, injuries, and illnesses [6]. This information is readily available on MSHA's website [7]. The authors...