Current Science

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Analysis of Accidents Due to Slope Failure in Indian Opencast Coal Mines


Affiliations
1 Department of Mining Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Raipur 492 010, India
 

Opencast mining operation involves removal of bulk quantities of overburden, dumping and backfilling in excavated areas. A phenomenal increase in the share of opencast production (93%) in Indian coal industry has resulted into significant problem of waste dumps at present with greater height of the dump constructed over minimum area and giving rise to increasing danger of dump failures. Dangerous occurrences, incidents, accidents and disasters due to dump failure in Indian opencast mines are quite common, resulting in injuries and fatalities. In 2016, a disaster due to dump failure in Rajmahal coalfield of ECL, killed 23 workers. Even though all such accidents are being analysed and recommendations made in each case, similar accidents are not prevented. Unfortunately we seem to miss the lessons each time from these past incidents or accidents. In this communication, we analyse an accident due to dump slope failure in Indian opencast coal mine, in which a giant debris flow occurred during routine mining operation. In addition, we identify the gaps in our learning system and the thrust on improving safety by analysing accidents using ischolar_main cause analysis techniques and to improve the stability of the dump.

Keywords

Accidents’ Analysis, Opencast Mines, Slope Failure, Waste Dumps.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Wu, A., Yin, S., Wang, H., Qin, W. and Qiu, G., Technological assessment of a mining-waste dump at the Dexing copper mine, China, for possible conversion to an in situ bioleaching operation. Bioresour. Technol., 2009, 100, 1931–1936.

  • Johnson, D. B., Biohydrometallurgy and the environment: intimate and import interplay. Hydrometallurgy, 83, 153–166.

  • DGMS, The Accident Investigation Report, Directorate General of Mines Safety, Dhanbad, India, 2016.

  • Rai, P. B. and Mahapatro, S., Overburden dump slope stability: a case study at coal mine. B Tech thesis, Department of Mining Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, Odisha, India, 2013.

  • Kainthola, A., Verma, D., Gupte, S. S. and Singh, T. N., A coal mine dump stability analysis – a case study. Geomaterials, 2011, 1, 1–13.

  • Upadhyay, O. P., Sharma, D. K. and Singh, D. P., Factors affecting stability of waste dumps in mines. Int. J. Surf. Min. Reclam., 1990, 4, 95–99.

  • Fernando, J. and Nag, D., A study of internal overburden dumps design and stability analysis for Hazelwood Power Mine, Latrobe Valley, Victoria, Australia. Application of computers and operations research in the minerals industries, South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Cape Town, South Africa, 14–16 May 2003, pp. 267–274.

  • Dash, A. K., Paul, P. S. and Bhattcharjee, R. M., Accident analysis of Indian non-coal mines – need for change in focus of accident investigation. Indian Miner. Ind. J., 2014, II, 2/Q2, 47–51.

  • Dash, A. K., Bhattcharjee, R. M. and Paul, P. S., Gap analysis of accident investigation methodology in the Indian mining industry – an application of Swiss cheese model and 5-why model. IAMURE Int. J. Ecol. Conserv. Philipp., 2015, 15, 1–27.

  • Dash, A. K., Bhattacharjee, R. M. and Paul, P. S., Lessons learned from Indian inundation disasters: an analysis of case studies. Int. J. Disaster Risk Reduction, 2016, 20, 93–102.

  • Quinlan, M., Ten Pathways to Death and Disaster: Learning from Fatal Incidents in Mines and Other High Hazard Workplaces, The Federation Press, 2014.

  • Bhattacharjee, R. M., Dash, A. K. and Panigrahi, D. C., Lessons learnt from Bhatdee Coal mine explosion disaster in India using ischolar_main cause analysis technique. In Proceedings of the 11th International Mine Ventilation Congress, Science Press and Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd, 2019.

  • Dash, A. K., Bhattacharjee, R. M. and Ahmad, A., Case study of accidents related to fall from height in Indian coal mining industry: an analysis. Int. J. Sci. Eng. Res., 2016, 7/9, 387–392.

  • The Coal Mine Regulation, 2017.

  • Dash, A. K., Paul, P. S. and Bhattcharjee, R. M., A step towards accident prevention: a pre-warning signals analysis. J. Mines Met. Fuels, 2018, 66(09), 572–575.

  • Dash, A. K., Bhattcharjee, R. M., Ahmad, A., Sagesh, K. M. R. and Singh, C. S., Mine accident investigation in India: a systems approach. J. Mines Met. Fuels, 2018, 66(10), 742–748.

  • Dash, A. K., Bhattacharjee, R. M., Singh, C. S., Ahmad, A. and Sagesh, K. M. R., A decision can be a disaster: a descriptive analysis of a case study. Int. J. Appl. Environ. Sci., 2017, 12(10), 1803–1820.

  • Dash, A. K., Bhattcharjee, R. M., Paul, P. S. and Tikader, M., Study and analysis of accidents due to wheeled trackless transportation machinery in Indian coal mines – identification of gap in current investigation system. Procedia Earth Planet. Sci., 2015, 11, 539–547.

  • Hopkins, A., A culture of denial: sociological similarities between the Moura and Gretley mine disasters. J. Occup. Health Saf., 2000, 16(1), 29–36.

  • Bhattacharjee, R. M., Dash, A. K., and Paul, P. S., Changing philosophy of accident investigation in Indian mines – need for shifting focus from human error to system error. In Proceeding of National Seminar on Surface Mining, Department of Mining Engineering, ISM, Dhanbad, 2014.

  • Turner, B. A., Man-Made Disasters, Wykeham Publications Ltd., London, UK, 1978.

  • Kletz, T., Lessons from Accidents, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, 1994.


Abstract Views: 305

PDF Views: 75




  • Analysis of Accidents Due to Slope Failure in Indian Opencast Coal Mines

Abstract Views: 305  |  PDF Views: 75

Authors

A. K. Dash
Department of Mining Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Raipur 492 010, India

Abstract


Opencast mining operation involves removal of bulk quantities of overburden, dumping and backfilling in excavated areas. A phenomenal increase in the share of opencast production (93%) in Indian coal industry has resulted into significant problem of waste dumps at present with greater height of the dump constructed over minimum area and giving rise to increasing danger of dump failures. Dangerous occurrences, incidents, accidents and disasters due to dump failure in Indian opencast mines are quite common, resulting in injuries and fatalities. In 2016, a disaster due to dump failure in Rajmahal coalfield of ECL, killed 23 workers. Even though all such accidents are being analysed and recommendations made in each case, similar accidents are not prevented. Unfortunately we seem to miss the lessons each time from these past incidents or accidents. In this communication, we analyse an accident due to dump slope failure in Indian opencast coal mine, in which a giant debris flow occurred during routine mining operation. In addition, we identify the gaps in our learning system and the thrust on improving safety by analysing accidents using ischolar_main cause analysis techniques and to improve the stability of the dump.

Keywords


Accidents’ Analysis, Opencast Mines, Slope Failure, Waste Dumps.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv117%2Fi2%2F304-308