Fire Hazard in Polish Underground Coalmines: Actions Taken to Prepare Suitable Conditions for Personnel Self-Rescue by Self-Rescuers

Each colliery is exposed to a number of underground mining hazards, natural or man-made, which pose a great threat to health and life of mine workers. Therefore, the problem of efficient and quick evacuation of underground workers to a safe place in case of mine hazards are of tantamount importance. This paper presents steps taken in Polish collieries to prepare suitable conditions for mine workers enabling self-rescue from hazardous area. Elements to be considered in activities of colliery’s technical services in order to educate mining personnel habits with respect to self-rescue abilities in an organised way are also discussed. A schedule of frequency and causes of fire in Polish under-ground coalmines from 1990 to 1999 are presented in a tabular form. The self-rescuing equipment and personal miner’s lamps used in the Polish underground mines are also presented.