Energy Company CEO Calls for Elimination of Mine Accidents
Posted on: Saturday, 17 May 2008, 06:00 CDT
By Anonymous
MINE SAFETY "We can no longer run our mines with an unspoken assumption that a certain number of accidents are simply inherent in our business." That statement effectively summarizes the recent testimony of CONSUL Energy Inc. CEO J. Brett Harvey before the Utah Mine Safety Commission. In the wake of the Crandall Canyon mine disaster, the commission has been charged with evaluating Utah's role in mine safety, accident prevention and accident response.
In talking about the business imperative for zero accidents, Harvey called on government and industry to work together to eliminate all coal mining accidents. He stated that several components-the law and compliance, the technology/safety interface and organizational culturemust be addressed to improve mine safety. Harvey urged the commission to recognize that "safety laws and safety are not synonymous," adding that "laws, by themselves, are not enough to guarantee safety." He also noted that while "compliance with the law is an obligation of every company, every mine manager and every employee. If we limit ourselves, as an industry, only to complying with the law, we will not eliminate accidents. Compliance with the law is only one element in the safety triad."
Another important element, he said, is the technology/safety interface. Effective technology, properly applied, can be an important component of an overall effort to eliminate accidents, he stated, citing CO monitoring systems, automatic temporary roof supports, coal bed degasification system and digital technology as important advances that have improved safety. But he cautioned against a rush to anoint technology as the solution. "It would be a mistake in the emotional aftermath of a mine tragedy to mandate unproven technologies in the name of 'doing something/ At the same time, companies should not use the fact that a technology is still emerging as an excuse to do nothing."
Harvey also pointed to the need for a culture of safety in mining and discussed what government's role might be in fostering that environment-particularly how the government might acknowledge, reward and encourage safe work.
CONSOL Energy Inc. is a high-Btu bituminous coal and coal bed methane company that operates 20 bituminous coal mining complexes in six states.
Copyright American Society of Safety Engineers Mar 2008
(c) 2008 Professional Safety. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: Professional Safety
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