AN ANALYSIS AND COUNTERMEASURES OF FATAL ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY FIREDAMP EXPLOSIONS IN UNDERGROUND COAL MINES IN TURKEY

Fatal accidents in underground coal mines in Turkey are common and experienced frequently. The major accident categories for underground coal mining in Turkey are gas related accidents (firedamp and outbursts), roof falls, flooding, fire and transport. In recent years, coal mine gas related accidents in Turkey, which are usually caused by firedamp and outbursts, are still threatening miners’ lives. Firedamp explosions are majorly serious mine accidents that can occur quickly and cause great deal damage. In this study, work-related accidents caused by firedamp and another gas accidents in Turkey between the years 2010-2016 were analyzed. As a result of these analyses, the number of deaths in underground coal mines in the past 7 years is 550 and the fatality rate is found to be 96.86%. The percentage of gases as the cause of the deaths is 70.18%. In this study, countermeasures are proposed that can prevent and control firedamp explosions and other gas related accidents. © 2019 Union of Chambers of Engineers and Architects of Turkey. All rights reserved.