SURFACE ORGANIZATION

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SURFACE ORGANIZATION

• MSHA-2201
• November 1981
• March 2005

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Northern Mine Rescue Association
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INTRODUCTION

• A mine rescue and recovery operation does not
  simply consist of a team going into a mine to
  rescue survivors or to put out a fire. It
  consists of much more - a whole network of people
  and services to direct and support the entire
  operation, especially the rescue teams.

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INTRODUCTION

• When your team arrives at a mine to begin rescue
  work, the rescue and recovery operation will
  probably have already begun on the surface.
  Several officials and mine personnel will have
  been called to the mine site to assume their
  duties in a chain-of command. Also, several mine
  facilities will have been set up to handle the
  large number of people and services required for
  the operation.

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INTRODUCTION

• This training session on surface organization is
  designed to familiarize you with how a rescue and
  recovery operation is organized and managed so
  that you can better understand the role the team
  plays in relation to the overall organization.

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INTRODUCTION

• The first few hours after an emergency occurs at
  a mine are often the most critical to saving
  survivors and/or the mine property, so it is
  particularly important that surface organization
  be well-planned and well-managed.

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Objective 1

• The team members will become familiar with the
  mines emergency notification plan

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Visual 1
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NOTIFICATION PLAN

• Each mine should have an Emergency Notification
  Plan for notifying necessary personnel when there
  is an emergency at the mine. This plan lists the
  various supervisors, administrators, and
  government officials who have to be notified of
  the emergency.

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NOTIFICATION PLAN

• Mines are required by law to also have and post a
  Mine Rescue Notification Plan for notifying all
  the mine rescue team members that will be needed
  to assist in the rescue and recovery operation.
  This Mine Rescue Notification Plan may be part of
  the Mine Emergency Notification Plan.

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Examples of the supervisors and administrators
who would be included in such a plan are the

• Mine Manager
• Mine Superintendent
• Mine Foreman (off shift foreman also)
• Safety Director
• General Mine Manager

• General Mine Superintendent
• District Inspectors (State and Federal)
• Chief, State Department of Mines
• District MSHA office and
• District office of miner's union (if involved)

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Mine Notification Plan

• The mine's notification plan should also include
  any other people or services that will be needed
  at the mine site such as police officers, supply
  clerks, telephone operators, medical personnel,
  ambulances, and other emergency vehicles.

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Objective 2

• The team members will understand the importance
  of establishing a chain-of-command and identify
  the teams place in this chain

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ESTABLISHING A CHAIN-OF-COMMAND

• A great number of people will be doing many
  different jobs during a rescue and recovery
  operation. Therefore, it is important to
  establish a clear chain-of-command so that
  surface arrangements can be handled smoothly and
  so that the rescue and recovery work itself can
  be well coordinated.

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ESTABLISHING A CHAIN-OF-COMMAND

• Located at the top of the chain-of-command is the
  mine manager or the mine superintendent. The
  manager or superintendent usually delegates
  responsibility for various jobs to other people.
  These people must know exactly what their duties
  and responsibilities are, who to report to, and
  who reports to them. Later on in the lecture we
  will discuss one way of dividing up these duties
  and responsibilities.

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ESTABLISHING A CHAIN-OF-COMMAND

• State and Federal officials will arrive at the
  mine site to advise and observe. Federal
  officials can take charge of an operation if they
  deem it necessary, but normally their role is to
  consult with and advise the company personnel on
  how the rescue and recovery work might best be
  carried out.

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ESTABLISHING A CHAIN-OF-COMMAND

• The rescue team is one link in the
  chain-of-command. The team is under the direct
  supervision of the team captain, and the team
  captain deals with the Safety Director or other
  designated official who is responsible for the
  rescue teams.

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MAKING SURFACE ARRANGEMENTS

• Surface arrangements cover a wide range of
  activities and require the coordinated efforts of
  many people.
• Surface arrangements include such tasks as
  establishing a command center where all the
  decisions are made, providing an adequate
  information center from which all public
  information is released, and obtaining and
  distributing necessary supplies and equipment.

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Objective 3

• The team members will identify the various
  facilities and arrangements normally recommended
  for carrying out a rescue and recovery operation

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Suggested Facilities Arrangements

• Command Center
• Located at the hub of the mine rescue operation
  is the command center, which is where the people
  in charge gather to plan and direct the rescue
  and recovery operation.

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Visual 2
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Command Center

• The command center will have communications
  equipment in it connected to the underground
  phones and to other surface phones, along with
  mine maps for following the progress of the teams
  and for marking findings and figuring out
  strategies.

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Waiting Area for Teams

• When the teams arrive at the mine site, they
  should be checked in and assigned to a team area.

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Waiting Area for Teams

• A "rotation schedule" should be worked up by the
  Safety Director (or whoever is in charge of the
  teams) for the deployment of all teams called to
  the mine site. The rotation schedule will assign
  teams to work at certain intervals and will
  designate when each team is to serve as a backup
  team to the fresh air base or as a standby team
  on the surface.

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Bench Area for Apparatus

• An area that has work benches and where water is
  available should be set aside as an apparatus
  room where the apparatus can be cleaned, tested,
  and prepared for use by the bench men or by the
  team members themselves. If convenient, the Mine
  Rescue Station can be used as a bench area for
  the apparatus.

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Security

• Having good security at the mine is important in
  order to keep the roads open and to ensure that
  curious bystanders do not hinder the mine rescue
  effort and are not injured while on the mine
  property.
• All roads and paths leading to the mine should be
  secured and guarded by assigned company personnel
  or police officers. Incoming traffic on the roads
  leading to the mine property should also be
  regulated by authorized personnel to keep
  unnecessary vehicles off the roads so that they
  can remain open for needed personnel, supplies,
  emergency vehicles, and so forth.

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Information Center

• Some Sort of an information center should be
  established on the surface for authorizing and
  issuing all information that is released to the
  public. The center should preferably be directed
  by a company official or by a State or Federal
  official authorized to issue news releases to the
  press and to any families and friends of trapped
  or otherwise involved miners.

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Information Center

• In addition to the person issuing the
  information, a company or government spokesperson
  is sometimes authorized to deliver the news
  releases to the public and to answer any
  questions that may arise.

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Information Center

• Copies of all news releases should be given to
  the news reporters to help prevent any confusion
  or misconstrued facts. Also, a copy of each news
  release with the time and date it was issued
  should be placed on file for future record.

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Waiting Area for Families and Friends

• A special room will usually be set aside as a
  waiting room for the families and friends of any
  trapped or otherwise involved miners. The waiting
  families and friends should be kept informed as
  to the progress of the rescue and recovery
  operation with hourly or periodic progress
  reports issued from the information center.

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Press Room

• An area completely separate from the family
  waiting area should be set up as a pressroom,
  where media representatives can gather to receive
  the news releases issued from the information
  center.
• News reporters should be restricted from
  wandering about the mine property, as they could
  receive information, which is based on
  speculation, or further upset the waiting
  families by trying to film them or interview them

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Food and Sleeping Quarters

• Arrangements for food and sleeping quarters
  should be made for all personnel at the mine.
  Usually food is brought in and rooms at a nearby
  motel are reserved. If there aren't any nearby
  motels, arrangements should be made for sleeping
  quarters at the mine

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Laboratory

• If it will be necessary to test samples of the
  mine air during the rescue and recovery
  operation, a laboratory with suitable air
  analysis equipment should be set up at the mine
  for testing such air. If this is not possible,
  the air samples may have to be sent to an
  off-site laboratory for analysis.
• Sometimes, mobile air analysis equipment, such as
  that on a mine rescue van, can be brought to the
  mine site for quick air analyses.

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Medical Facilities

• Some arrangement for medical services and
  facilities should be made. This could range from
  standby ambulances, EMTs, and a first aid room to
  a temporary hospital, depending on the situation.

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Temporary Morgue

• In situations where bodies are being recovered
  from the mine, a temporary morgue will be
  necessary.

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Objective 4

• The team members will identify the various
  personnel and duties normally involved in surface
  organization

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Suggested Personnel and Their Duties

• As mentioned, a great number of people will be
  doing many different kinds of jobs during a
  rescue and recovery operation. These range from
  making sure that necessary supplies are ordered
  and on the way to making the plans for the actual
  rescue and recovery operation.

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Suggested Personnel and Their Duties

• The following list of personnel and their duties
  suggests the people that may be involved in
  surface organization during a mine emergency and
  describes how the duties might be broken down.

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Mine Manager or Superintendent

• If the mine has a mine manager as well as a mine
  superintendent, the manager usually carries full
  responsibility for the rescue and recovery
  operation. In these cases, the mine
  superintendent works directly under the manager.
  In situations where the mine does not have a mine
  manager, the superintendent is in charge of the
  operation.
• The mine manager or superintendent should
  establish the command center and oversee all
  aspects of the rescue and recovery operation. He
  or she will delegate responsibility for various
  aspects of the operation as necessary or
  according to a prearranged plan.

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Mine Manager or Superintendent

• It is suggested that the manager or
  superintendent establish an advisory committee
  composed of company and Federal representatives.
  and (if involved) State and union representatives
  to serve and advise during each shift at the
  command center.
• This committee, along with the mine manager or
  superintendent, could also serve as a
  briefing/debriefing committee to inform teams
  going into the mine and to gather information
  from teams coming out of the mine.

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Mine Manager or Superintendent

• The mine manager or superintendent should also
  designate both an official to serve as the fresh
  air base coordinator for each shift, and an
  advisory committee to serve and advise the
  coordinator during each shift at the command
  center.
• Also, this person should designate someone to
  direct the information center and issue news
  releases.

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Mine Manager or Superintendent

• The mine manager or superintendent should be sure
  to delegate personnel to
• Notify the families of any (trapped miners, which
  should be done in person if possible
• Notify the families of any miners or other
  personnel who have been authorized to stay at the
  mine site as emergency operations personnel
• Monitor the underground phone circuit
  continuously, regardless of whether or not it
  appears to be operational
• Obtain gas samples from the main exhausts

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2.Mine Clerk

• A mine clerk will likely be designated as
  responsible for all necessary communication
  coming into and out of the command center. The
  duties of the mine clerk are to
• a. Notify all persons on the notification plan
  and inform them of the emergency
• b. Attend the telephone at the command center
• c. Assign people for errand duty

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3. Chief Electrician

• The duties of the chief electrician are to
• a. When authorized by the person in charge, pull
  and immediately lock all electric switches
  controlling the electricity to the mine
• b. Provide the materials for additional telephone
  communications as needed
• c. Arrange for any needed assistants

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4. Chief Mechanic or Mechanical Foreman

• The duties of the chief mechanic are to
• Check explosion doors (for exhausting fan) or
  weak wall (for blowing fan) for damage. Make sure
  explosion doors are closed/or weak wall is
  repaired
• Check fan and, if necessary, instruct an
  electrician or machinist to make repairs to the
  fan
• Monitor the operation of the fan and the
  atmosphere in and around the fan house if the fan
  is exhausting. With an exhausting fan, proper
  precautions should be taken to avoid asphyxiation
  or an explosion in the fan house
• Alter ventilation only when ordered to do so by
  the person in charge

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5. Outside Foreman

• The duties of the outside foreman are to
• Arrange for guards and state and/or local police
  to
• Rope off and guard all mine openings
• Guard all roads and paths leading to the mine
• Designate a person as a check man to monitor
  people entering and leaving the mine. The check
  man should
• Attend to his/her assigned station within the
  roped off area
• Allow no one to go underground except persons
  authorized by the officials in charge
• Examine each person (entering the mine) for
  matches and smoking materials, making no
  exceptions
• Check off each person by name and number and
  record the time as they go in and come out of the
  mine
• Set up an eating area and make sure that ample
  food and drinks are available for the rescue
  team. and other personnel
• Set up medical facilities (first aid room, triage
  center, emergency hospital), restroom, and a
  temporary morgue, if necessary, and make
  arrangements for sleeping quarters

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6. Safety Director

• The safety director is usually responsible for
  the mine rescue teams. The duties that the safety
  director would normally have are to
• Assemble mine rescue teams and first-aid crews
• Provide facilities and equipment for testing,
  cleaning, and recharging the breathing apparatus
• Assign personnel to issue, record, and return
  mine rescue equipment
• Consult with the mine manager or superintendent
  regarding plans for the rescue and recovery
  operation
• Establish a rotation schedule for the rescue
  teams.

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Visual 2
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6. Safety Director

• The rotation schedule should be designed so there
  is a clear order of team usage and so backup
  teams are always available. There should be an
  adequate amount of time allotted for resting
  teams and for cleaning, testing, and preparing
  the apparatus.
• Exactly how the schedule is set up depends on how
  many teams are available to the rescue operation,
  what the conditions are underground, and what the
  service time of the apparatus is. It is often
  recommended that no rescue operation start with
  less than three teams ready and available on the
  property.

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7. Chief Engineer

• The duties of the chief engineer are to
• Supply the command center with copies of maps
  showing the regular flow of air and the location
  of ventilation controls, doors, pumps,
  substations, machinery, and the electrical system
  with control switch locations
• Alert adjoining mines if they are connected
  under-ground with the affected mine
• If needed, obtain maps of adjoining mines
• Make arrangements to furnish drilling rig
  equipment if needed

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8. Supply Clerk

• The supply clerk (or clerks) is responsible for
  obtaining and distributing all the equipment and
  supplies used for the operation. The duties of
  the supply clerk are to
• Prepare an inventory of existing equipment and
  supplies
• Contact other mines and suppliers to obtain other
  needed supplies and equipment
• Provide the following for immediate use nails,
  brattice cloth, hatchets, axes, saws, picks,
  boards, telephones, wires, any needed gas testing
  equipment, sledge hammers, slate bars, shovels,
  timbers, stretchers, batteries, and first-aid
  cabinets.

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8. Supply Clerk(continued)

• Provide the following for authorized personnel
  coveralls, safety shoes, gloves, caps,
  flashlights, safety glasses, and lamp belts
• Keep a record of all equipment issued and returned

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9. Lamp man

• The lamp man is responsible for issuing all cap
  lamps, self-rescuers, check numbers or tags. The
  duties of the lamp man are to
• See that each person receiving a lamp is approved
  by the mine manager or superintendent
• Record the equipment issued and returned
• Give each person going underground a check number
  
• Record the name and number of each person going
  underground in a book.

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10. Mine Foreman

• The duties of the mine foreman are to
• Organize underground operations for each shift in
  cooperation with the person in charge, Federal
  inspectors, and (if involved State inspectors and
  union representatives
• Provide suitable transportation for people and
  supplies, as needed

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11. Other Company Personnel

• The duties of other company personnel are to
• Assemble organizations according to the
  pre-arranged plan
• Stand by until ordered to assist or leave.

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