Lessons Learnt from Bhatdee Coal Mine Explosion Disaster in India Using Root Cause Analysis Technique

Abstract

Mining remains one of the most hazardous professions worldwide and underground coal mines are specifically notorious for their high rate of accident. In this study, an overview of disasters in Indian coal mines is presented with their identified causes. One of the deadliest causes of such disasters in India is explosion. Out of the total 60 disasters in Indian coal mines since 1901, 24 were caused only due to explosion, taking 1198 precious lives (the number was 2223 in §1 Introduction, please verify). During the last decade, there had been two explosion disasters killing 64 persons. The repeated occurrence of mine explosions, often in a similar manner, is the loud unfinished legacy of mining accidents and their occurrence in the 21st century is unforgivable and warrant a strong call for action to settle down this problem. In this paper one recent coal mine explosion disaster, namely, Bhatdee coal mine disaster in 2006, has been analyzed, where deficiencies in various safety barriers failed to prevent the accident from occurring and then subsequent failure of defenses to prevent this accident scenario from unfolding and to mitigate its consequences. Here the authors emphasized on the identification of the deficiencies pertaining to organizational factor, work environment and task environment and failed defences that allowed some mine hazards into an accident and then into a ‘‘disaster’’. This case study provides an opportunity to demonstrate the concept of root cause analysis that help to describe the accident phenomena. The authors also introduced the safety principle of defense-in-depth, which is the basis for regulations in support of accident prevention and coordinating actions on all levels, organizational, environmental, technical, and regulatory, to improve overall safety in mines.