Revue de l'Institut d'hygiene des mines最新文献

The approval of self rescuer devices for use in the underground needs, among other things, human testing in training galleries. As the training galleries are not the same in the different central rescue stations, the C.C.R. was entrusted with the task of developing a standard test for Belgium. After comparing data with two other countries of the E.E.C. and having devised two experimental courses, the C.C.R. launched a project for "Community Ergonomics Action" with the financial support of the Commission of the European Communities. This financial support enabled the C.C.R. to purchase equipment for the continuous measurement of various physiological parameters. This equipment was used to determine as accurately as possible the effort involved in passing through a specific type of roadway at a given speed. The resulting information helped device a third test course which entails an average oxygen uptake of approximately 1,2 l/min; the paper gives a detailed description of this test.

The president of the working party presents details of its principal tasks in the past and in the present time. These can be summed up in a study of the problems mentioned below and the subsequent elaboration of recommendations for the benefit of the governments, guidelines, information reports and research proposals. The principal problems that were or are still under study are: --prevention of fires: shaft equipment, hydraulic fluids, belt conveyors, . . .; --detection of mine fires and spontaneous combustion; --fighting of mine fires: shaft fires, construction of stoppings, openings and recovering of fire zones, . . .; --coordination and rescue equipment: escape and rescue breathing apparatus, flameproof clothing, rescue of trapped miners; --stabilization of ventilation in the event of fire, . . . The speaker stresses the importance of the information exchange and the atmosphere of fellowship and solidarity that prevails in the working party.

Fire-fighting methods using inert gases have been known for decades. In December 1974, for the first time in the German coalmining industry, liquid nitrogen was gasified at the surface and fed to a mine fire underground. This developed into a standard fire-fighting procedure in mines and has been used in numerous cases. The great advantage of this method for the mine rescue operations is the elimination of explosion hazards and the possibility to create better working conditions. The example of a large scale fire in 1982 illustrates how fire zones can be stopped and reopened in immediate succession, if some requirements are fulfilled. The neutralization method sets new technical and safety tasks for the mine rescue services. Instruction on working in a low oxygen environment now represents a particularly important part of their training.

After a short historical account of ergonomics, the speaker exposes its objectives: amelioration of working conditions, elimination of tasks that are beyond the worker's abilities, search for working norms and conditions according to men's needs and aspirations. He then enlarges on the ergonomical methods: measure and quantification of tasks, reckoning of the working situation in its whole, multi-disciplinary approach and thus necessity to set up teams, participation of the workers concerned. He stresses that the iron and steel industry and the mining industry have taken a leading part in ergonomics and that this part has been amplified by the support of the departments of the European Communities.

The problems encountered in diagnosing the rare types of pneumoconiosis ( silicatosis other than asbestosis, aluminosis and hard metals fibrosis), result from the difficulties in realising a good occupational anamnese and from the disease pattern by itself. The classical examinations, (X-rays of the thorax and lung function measurements), are not able to detect the cause of these diseases, which are fundamentally characterised by an absence of specificity. These last years, new methods of diagnoses (angiotensin converting enzyme, gallium scan, transbronchial biopsies, mineralogical, cytological and histological examinations of the lung tissues and of the bronchial alveolar lavage) were developed and progressively introduced in the daily practice in pneumology. Only the examination of lung biopsies and of the products of bronchial alveolar lavage, in particular the mineralogical examinations, may usefully orientate the diagnosis. The bronchial alveolar lavage has the advantage of an easy repetition and of a small invasive character. Moreover this technique is of a rather low financial cost. However the results of these examinations must be interpreted with the greatest caution, in function of the complete medical and occupational data. The experience following more than 500 BAL shows that the discovery of talc and kaolin is very significant for an exposition since these minerals were never observed among not exposed subjects. The evidence of these minerals argues also for the diagnosis of talcosis or kaolinosis if there are radiological lesions that are compatible with these diseases. On the other hand a recent study suggests that the identification of multinuclear macrophages and of tungsten and/of tantalum in the bronchial alveolar lavage is pathognomonic of the pathology of the hard metals.

Until fairly recently the detection of heatings was based on men seeing or smelling smoke and the laboratory analysis of mine air samples. Continuous monitoring of carbon monoxide by means of tube bundle systems has been a big step forward in detecting spontaneous combustion of coal and has found widespread acceptance in U.K. mines; general fire detection relies on shaft monitors. Both are based on infra-red analysers like the Unor CO-analysers that can be installed underground. In recent years British laboratories have developed and adapted several devices based on other principles: ionisation, semi-conductors, electro-chemical cells, thermistors, detection "thermal noise", infra-red imagers. All these instruments are briefly described by the authors in this paper presented by Mr. Makower.

The present communication gives a general view of the methods of dust control in the Belgian coal mines at the beginning of 1983. The statistical data received from the mines are presented in tabular form. The length and the output of coal treated by the classical methods of wet cutting and water infusion are given separately. The number of stone drivages in which different methods of dust control are used, is also given.

The ventilation instability generated by hot fumes on the return airflow of a fire, especially in workings with appreciable differences of level, has been largely studied and approached by numerous calculation attempts. French experts had the idea to adapt to this problem a calculation model that was previously elaborated to evaluate the temperature evolution in deep strata cooled by a ventilation roadway. The speaker shortly exposes this model and stresses that complementary research is necessary.