Mining Product: Guidelines for Instructional Materials on Refuge Chamber Setup, Use, and Maintenance
Original creation date: July 2009
Refuge chambers may potentially save the lives of miners during a mine emergency. For this reason, it is crucial that miners know how to operate them. Unfortunately, because refuge chambers provide so many services, they can be very complicated and difficult to operate. Therefore, NIOSH has created this document with suggestions for developing manuals and educational materials. A multidisciplinary team comprised of NIOSH engineers, sociologists, psychologists, health communication professionals, and geologists developed the recommendations contained in this document. These recommendations are based on an evaluation of manufacturers' instruction manuals from both the U.S. and globally, interviews with over 20 mining and safety experts, and an extensive literature review. This research, focused on the best practices for refuge chambers, led to the formulation of this document. It is intended to offer suggestions to manufacturers and mine operators on how to create effective and easy-to-understand training manuals for miners as well as tips to create the most comfortable and usable refuge chambers. It should be noted that these recommendations are not meant to substitute for manufacturer-supplied materials but rather to be used in conjunction with manufacturer's materials. Manufacturers should always be consulted for up-to-date information about their chamber.
Authors: KA Klein, EE Hall
Information Circular - July 2009
NIOSHTIC2 Number: 20035692
Pittsburgh, PA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2009-148, Information Circular 9514, 2009 July; :1-33
See Also
- Emergency Escape and Refuge Alternatives
- How to Operate a Refuge Chamber: A Quick Start Guide
- NIOSH Docket Number 125: Refuge Alternative Research
- A Primer on Explosives for Coal Miners
- Random Motion Capture Model for Studying Events Between a Machine and its Operator
- Recommendations for Refuge Chamber Operations Training
- Refuge Alternatives in Underground Coal Mines
- Refuge Chamber Expectations Training - 1.0
- Refuge Chambers
- Research Report on Refuge Alternatives for Underground Coal Mines
- Technology News 535 - NIOSH Releases New Educational Video: Escape from Farmington No. 9: An Oral History
- Technology News 537 - NIOSH Develops New Mine Refuge Chamber Training
- Content source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Mining Program