OFR-22-73 Fatality Analysis Data Base Development - Description Of The Study - Background Of The Study

This report summarizes the results of a research project entitled "Fatal Accident Data Base Development." This project is the last project under Contract No. S0110601. Volumes I and 1I, "Industrial Engineering Study of Hazards Associated with Underground Coat Mine Production," summarize the original industrial engineering project and the Fatal Accident Report Analysis project. These projects were completed and accepted by the U.S. Bureau of Mines on December 10, 1971. Both volumes of the report have been made available by the Bureau to the public through the U. S. Department of Commerce technical information service. Another project under the same con tract, entitled "Equipment Operations Safety Study, ' was completed in January 1972 and the report was accepted by the U. S. B. M. at that time. The analysis in this Natal Accident. Data Lose Development report is closely related to analysis in both of the earlier reports. The original project involved an industrial engineering and safety of production operations for a representative sample of underground bituminous coal mines. The contactor was required to make recommendations 'in work practices, mining methods, equipment, and safety practices which can effectively reduce the fatality rate from rib and roof falls.' (Longwall mining methods were excluded from the study.) Time study and work element analyses were performed in over 50 mines as part of the field data gathering effort. Another requirement of the study was to develop sets of multiflow. Process charts, which are diagrammatic illustrations of the time-related interaction of mining, cycle job elements.