A number of recent tragic events in the the mining and tunnelling industries have once again highlighted the potential dangers to worker safety in the underground construction sector.
After 14 deaths in two recent mining disasters in West Virginia, a number of US senators have called for a Congressional investigation into mine safety; with Senator Jay Rockefeller stating that he for one will, “spend every day making sure that there are new guidelines, new technology and new ways of doing things to protect miners in their workplace.”
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A run of recent tunnel disasters, including the Nicoll Highway collapse in Singapore (p11), the Kaohsiung Metro collapses in Taiwan (T&TI Jan, p6), and flooding of a 7.8km long railway tunnel under construction in Lichuan, China, on 21 January (taking the lives of 11 miners), serve as a further reminder of the dangers faced.
A significant number of new guidelines, combined with superior awareness and enforcement of health and safety best practice, have had a major impact on reducing worker fatalities, however, is it also encouraging to see emerging technology being embraced within the industry.
One such technological advance has been the ongoing development of Radio Frequency Identification Device systems (RFIDs). These systems can provide, by the use of worker/visitor tags and battery powered readers, a real-time overview of the status of a tunnelling site; allowing tracking of worker movements and a complete overview of all safety issues, both inside and outside of the tunnel. Projects such as the Wienerwald Tunnel, in Austria, and the Sauda Tunnel, in Norway, are currently amongst those leading the way with such technology, employing advanced systems provided by RFID specialist Wtek.
Other significant developments include the increased application of advanced worker communications systems and emerging forms of personnel safety equipment.
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By GlobalDataHowever, with a modern day trend of longer and longer tunnel headings, egress in case of emergency can only become more and more of an issue. This was very much the case in Lichuan, China, where only three of 14 workers working 3km in from the portal managed to escape.
The efforts of those within the tunnelling community committed to safety must be applauded. But it is important that we also continue to look at new ways in which worker safety can be improved and ensure knowledge of new technology is disseminated throughout the industry. Only then can we harness the true benefits of established safety practices with new technology augmenting these systems.
Amanda Foley
