Statistical analysis of methane explosions in Turkey's underground coal mines and some recommendations for the prevention of these accidents: 2010-2017

Abstract

Underground coal mining is accepted as one of the most dangerous workplaces in the world which has high risks by their nature contain. The reason for this is that the presence of methane is a naturally immutable fact in most underground coal mines. Therefore, besides working under high risky conditions, struggling with nature in underground coal mining brings with it the possibility of mine accident especially methane explosions. Consequently, methane has been considered as one of the most deadly hazards for underground coal mining due to its explosion risk to both the miners and environment. In Turkey's underground coal mines, one of the most frequently occurring accidents is methane explosions which occur suddenly and cause great damage. In recent years, Turkey's underground coal mines have still posed serious threats to miners' lives due to the occurrence of many gas accidents. In this study, methane explosion accidents that occurred in Turkey's underground coal mines between the years of 2010 and 2017 were statistically analyzed. These analyses showed that the number of deaths in Turkey's underground coal mines between 2010 and 2017 was 578 and the mortality rate was found to be 92.63%. The rate of the death toll caused by methane explosions and other gas-related accidents was 68.34%. In this study, some countermeasures have been suggested that can both prevent and control gas-related accidents. Furthermore, some recommendations for a decrease in the number of errors made in Turkey's underground coal mines have been presented in this study.