03/2018 - cover

Bezpieczeństwo Pracy i Ochrona Środowiska w Górnictwie Number 03/2018

SMA'S MONTHLY MAGAZINE

Piotr WOJTACHA, Roman UZAROWICZ

Depending on the condition of the soil and on the intended reclamation process, apart from the provisions of the Geological and Mining Law and the provisions of the Act on the protection of arable and forest land, the provisions of many other acts apply to the reclamation of post-mining areas. Reclaiming a piece of land that was adversely transformed in terms of its land form is carried out according to the provisions of the Act on the protection of arable and forest land, taking into account the pertinent provisions of the GML. When reclamation is performed using waste, the provisions of the Waste Act and the Mining Waste Act are also applied. Depending on the level of contamination, reclamation of polluted areas is carried out under the Environment Protection Law (soil that was contaminated before 30 April 2007) or the under the Act on preventing damages to the environment and on their rectification (soil that was contaminated after 30 April 2007).
The scope of reclamation projects carried out by the mining industry in 2007-2016 relative to the total area of mining land points to a correct methodology applied therein. In average, 22% of all areas intended for mining activity was reclaimed, and a slightly decreasing trend was recorded for areas requiring reclamation relative to overall mining areas. The correctness of the methodology applied is confirmed by a slightly increasing trend in the total area of reclaimed land. The largest areas were reclaimed by the rock and brown coal mining industry, one that uses the largest areas for mining purposes. What is however alarming is the presence of a decreasing trend in the size of areas reclaimed by the brown coal extraction industry.

Stanisław DUŻY, Grzegorz DYDUCH, Wojciech PREIDL, Grzegorz STACHA, Sandra UTKO

The issues presented in the article, related to the revitalization of post-mining objects in Poland, constitute only a part of this very important and difficult problem. The focus was, above all, on the possibilities of using underground excavations for purposes other than mining, after the mines are liquidated. These excavations can be successfully adapted for tourist, health and treatment or cultural and educational purposes. It was shown on selected examples that health and treatment institutions as well as service and social facilities can function successfully in former underground excavations. Attractive tourist routes can also be designed on the basis of underground infrastructure, similarly to, e.g.: Wieliczka, Bochnia, Zabrze and Tarnowskie Góry.
Underground excavations can also be successfully utilized in an economical manner. Inactive shafts can be used to build pumped storage power plants or can potentially be places for extracting geothermal energy from underground water, as is the case of “Maciej” shaft and “Sobieski” mine. Excavations of inactive mines can also become storage facilities for problematic waste or reservoirs of underground water, as in the case of “Piast II” mine. While discussing the technical aspects of the revitalization of underground excavations, the focus was on historic buildings. In their case, one should not only consider technical but also historical problems. The modular system to secure historic excavations presented in the article takes both those aspects into account.

Magdalena ŚMIESZEK-DUDEK

The employment of foreigners in underground mining operations is possible, however, contingent upon meeting of a number of requirements. Those requirements, in turn, depend on whether a potential employee is a national of a Member State of the European Union, a Member State of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) – a party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, the Swiss Confederation, or a third country national. In the first case, the President of the State Mining Authority recognizes professional qualifications in mining regulated professions. In the second case, i.e. in the case of a third-country national, the decision on employment belongs to the entrepreneur. What needs to be emphasized is that the working environment in underground mining plants is one of the most dangerous ones – due to natural hazards and the complex nature of technological processes. Hence, ensuring the highest standards to improve the safety of mining operations and the safety of employees is of critical importance. Such safety standards can be achieved regardless of the nationality of the employees. Furthermore, it is worth noting that the exchange of experience with workers from other countries might positively affect and contribute to the safety of mining operations.

Jacek MURZYDŁO

The article attempts at defining the mutual relations between the reclamation of post-mining land and the liquidation of a mining pit. This issue has not been explicitly determined in legislation, which can lead to essential discrepancies in interpretation. An analysis of the rules of law, literature, court rulings and Polish Standards has led to a conclusion that post-mining land reclamation is usually an element of the liquidation of a mining pit, and that reclamation itself can be carried out both during and after completing its extraction. The article further described the model phases (stages) of post-mining land reclamation and contains a de lege ferenda postulate for specifying the provisions for mining authority supervision and control of the process of post-mining land reclamation in terms of limiting the scope of supervision and control to preparatory and basic (technical) reclamation.

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Alicja STEFANIAK

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Michał WROŃSKI

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Aldona MINORCZYK-CICHY

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Adam MIREK, Krzysztof KRÓL

do góry