Bezpieczeństwo Pracy i Ochrona Środowiska w Górnictwie Number 12/2018

The article shows weak links in the supply, selection and use systems for filtering facepiece respirators in hard coal mines and necessary conditions for effective protection. Too often the common misconception prevails that in order to improve the effectiveness of employee protection it is enough to use higher protection class filtering equipment than required. Meanwhile, in addition to the protection class, the effectiveness of protection is also dependent on whether a respirator fits the shape and size of the face well (tightness of the respirator) and on the nuisance of using a respirator in real working conditions (breathing resistance and ergonomics). Unfortunately, the breathing resistance of commercially available filtering respirators or respirator filters is not provided in the technical specifications, which makes it impossible to perform a comparative analysis in this respect or to use this information when determining the terms of tender procedures. This leads to the situation where breathing resistance of filtering respirators or respirator filters is not taken into account during tenders, and the criterion of the lowest price gives an advantage to inferior products at the expense of products made of better materials and with better parameters. It is believed that the type-approval certificate for compliance with the relevant technical standard issued by the notified body for a facepiece respirator or filter guarantees that this protection measure will work even in difficult microclimate conditions at high temperature and air humidity. This is not always the case since the temperature and humidity conditions in which the respirators or filters are tested in a laboratory are significantly different from the most severe conditions that occur at the mining work stations. As a result, in difficult microclimate conditions key parameters, such as breathing resistance, may be significantly greater than those set in the laboratory and unacceptable to employees.

The article presents results of research carried out on a group of mine rescuers. The results are tabulated according to age groups and the order of exercising on an "endless ladder". The analysis of the results took into account the initial value, the final value and the differences in heart rate during measurements. In the case of rescuers from the age group up to 30 years, the minimum difference in heart rate after exercising on the "endless ladder" was 10 beats per minute and the maximum was 80 beats per minute. However, in the case of rescuers from the age group 31-40 years, one rescuer showed a decrease in the heart rate from 120 to 110 beats per minute. The rescuer performed the exercise on the "endless ladder" as the third exercise. The maximum difference in this age group was 80 beats per minute. In turn, in most cases, rescuers over 40 years old achieved a significant increase in the final value. The test results confirm that the suggested order of exercises on five devices (hammer, ergometer, endless ladder, stationary bike and treadmill – Fig. 2) is fully justified and there is no need to change it.

Effective implementation of the tasks of the Saxon Mining Office (Sächsisches Oberbergamt - SOBA) would not be possible without modern digital database systems. These include the Saxon Mining Information System and Register of Historical Mining as well as applications run in conjunction with them. The Saxon Mining Information System enables the automatic generation of necessary reports, diversified statistical summaries and the creation of thematic maps. Based on the data collected in the system, the location and form of mining plants and their facilities, together with factual data, can be presented in the GIS. On the basis of the system data, SOBA runs a map of the Saxon concession (Berechtsamskarte), allowing for easy identification of overlap areas for the proposed concession areas. Register of Historical Mining (Altbergbaukataster - ABK), in turn, collects data on residues from mining and mining operations without legal succession, indicated as part of mining damage analysis, and the possible effects of historical mining on construction works. The Register contains, among others, current maps of post-mining underground voids ( Hohlraumkarte ), with marked areas of underground workings which may pose a threat to people, enterprises and their property. In turn, the platform of Saxon geotechnical data (GDI Sachsen) is aimed at making the geotechnical data owned by state institutions available to a wide range of recipients. The Geoportal Saxony Atlas (Geoportal Sachsenantlas) makes it possible to access and use this data and other geological information. The next component of the platform is the Saxon Environmental Portal (SachsenPortalU) containing, among others, detailed maps and information on such topics as: waste and sewage, land and soils, energy, flood information, geology, noise, nature and landscape, and water. The database applications developed at the Saxon Mining Office to a large extent reflect and support the work of the office. Their application enables the optimisation of administrative processes, increase of their efficiency and systematic improvement of the quality of services provided.