Sago Mine Rescue
Effort - Questions and Answers
Question: Is it true that no one could reach federal mine safety officials on
January 2nd because it was a holiday?
Answer: No. MSHA office telephone systems provide
messages listing emergency telephone numbers during non-business hours. This listing provides an ample number of
names and numbers to ensure that a contact can always be made. Mining operators frequently contact MSHA
personnel at their homes during off duty hours to report accidents and to discuss
other important mining issues.
Question: What delay was there, if any, between the time that people at the mine
tried to reach MSHA personnel and the time that someone was actually reached?
Answer: According to MSHA
logs, the first call from the mine to MSHA personnel at home came at
approximately
Question: What time elapsed between when MSHA personnel were reached and when MSHA
personnel arrived at the mine site?
Answer: Approximately two
hours elapsed. The supervisor was
contacted at his home at approximately
Question: What took so long for rescue personnel to enter the mine?
Answer: A mine explosion
had occurred and methane gas appeared to be the fuel. Initial instrument readings at the mine
portals indicated that 500 ppm of carbon monoxide and 1½% concentration of
methane were exiting the mine via the ventilation current. Carbon monoxide is an indicator of a possible
fire and methane is an explosive gas. The gas readings collected were indicators that it was not safe to send
people into the mine because of the potential for a second explosion. Safe entry into the mine could not be
accomplished until trending of the carbon monoxide and methane gases indicated
an active fire was not present.
Question: Some claim that the existing rescue team structure is simply
deficient. Is that true?
Answer: Rescue teams have always been an elite aspect of the coal industry. These rescue teams are either company teams,
contract teams or teams run by state agencies. MSHA regulations specify that mine rescue stations must be within two
hours ground travel of a coal mine and that two teams present themselves at the
mine within a reasonable time. Although
several mining companies have numerous mine rescue teams, most mining
operations only have the minimum coverage defined in the regulations. Teams are expensive to create and maintain,
thus the number of teams in excess of regulatory requirements is dependent upon
the economy of the industry. There was
no shortage of highly-trained, experienced mine rescue resources at the Sago
Mine. At one point, there were 13 teams
on site assisting with the rescue effort.
Question: What are the federal
requirements for mine rescue teams?
Answer: Each mine must establish two mine rescue teams that are available at all
times when miners are underground, or the operator must enter into arrangements
for mine rescue services that ensure that two teams are available whenever
miners are underground. Teams must be properly trained and provided with
appropriate safety equipment. Mine
rescue coverage can be obtained in several ways, such as company teams,
contract teams or through state agencies.
Question: What is the required response
time for rescue teams? Is there are
different standard for company-maintained teams or federal teams?
Answer: Federal regulations require that each mine rescue station must be within
two hours ground travel of the mine or mines it serves. Company mine rescue teams or contract teams
that have an arrangement with the mine must present themselves at the mine
within a reasonable time after an accident.
There is
no required response time for federal mine rescue teams as the law does not
require MSHA to separately maintain such teams. MSHA trains and maintains a number of working team members to accompany
industry mine rescue personnel during the exploration activities associated
with mine explosions and fires. An MSHA
team member accompanies industry and state agency teams in underground areas of
the mine. He/She serves as MSHA's
representative to ascertain the conditions initially found in the mine, to
offer technical assistance and guidance, and to validate information for the
accident investigation team.
Question: How many teams responded to
the incident?
Answer: A total of 13 teams responded to the Sago Mine disaster.
Question: How many were on site within
particular intervals?
Answer: Two teams from
Question: What happened to the mine rescue robot?
Answer: The robot had been in
Question: Why dont we have better mine
rescue technology?
Answer: Mine rescue teams are expensive, and most companies and teams focus on maintaining
the instruments, apparatus, and equipment they currently have. Development and deployment of new technologies
is to some degree dependent on market conditions.