China completes test of underground refuge chamber in bid to reduce mining casualties

China completes test of underground refuge chamber in bid to reduce mining casualties

2011-08-26 19:24:26 GMT+7 (ICT)

BEIJING (BNO NEWS) -- China has completed the first manned test of a permanent underground chamber which can shelter miners in the event of an accident, state-run media reported on Friday. It is hoped the chamber can help to save lives in the future.

Safety conditions at mines in China have significantly improved in recent years, but they remain among the world's most dangerous with 1,083 fatalities in the first seven months of 2011 alone. There were 2,433 fatalities in 2010 and 2,631 in 2009.

The State Administration of Coal Mine Safety (SACMS) last year ordered all mines in the country to build emergency shelter systems by June 2013 which are to be equipped with machines to produce oxygen and air conditioning, protective walls and airtight doors to protect workers against toxic gases and other hazardous factors.

This week, around 100 people - including managers, engineers, miners, medical staff, and the chamber's developers - took part in a 48-hour test at a mine owned by the China National Coal Group in the city of Shuozhou in northern China's Shanxi Province.

The test results showed the 168-square meter (1,808 square feet) chamber was well suited to host the 100 people, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. SACMS said the experiment showed the chamber is in line with national coal mine emergency rescue requirements.

One of the worst mining accidents in China in recent years happened in November 2009 when 104 workers were killed after several explosions at a coal mine in Heilongjiang province. But accidents have happened as recently as Thursday when 10 people were killed as a result of two incidents at coal mines in eastern China.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-08-26