Improvement of safety management system at the mining enterprises of Ukraine

Abstract

Purpose. Search for ways and their analysis to improve the safety of mining operations at coal mines in case of inadequate perception of risks or deliberate violation of occupational safety. Methods. An integrated approach is used in the work, which involves: Analysis and generalization of previously performed research into the miners’ injuries during underground mining of minerals; analysis of the occupational safety management system; mathematical statistics methods; experiments planning in the questionnaires and expert groups development; expert assessment method. Findings. After analysis of the modern methods for the occupational safety system management, three main groups of factors leading to injury have been revealed. The ways to impact on injury factors are outlined. The objective of research has been formulated – identify the distinguishing features of the safety system at coal enterprises in case of inadequate perception of risks or deliberate violation of occupational safety, as well as development of the conceptual solutions to improve the safety system. A conceptual management graph has been created after summarizing the existing approaches to safety management. The actions have been analysed according to the developed graph through substitution into it of factors from the “staff-machine-environment” system during their pairwise interactions. The analysis of actions according to the safety management graph, performed by the reconstruction method indicates that the existing safety management system can be improved for specified conditions. It is proposed to improve the safety system by introducing a “smart-protection” system, which is triggered at the stage of hazards identification, increasing the decision-making adequacy. Originality. Improving the safety system in case of inadequate perception of risks or deliberate violation of occupational safety is achieved by introducing new sensors into the system, increasing the systems response speed, changing the principle of their operation, as well as improving installation schemes through analysis of devices, principles of processing information and making decisions. Practical implications. The developed aerogas method of controlling the coal mines atmosphere can be used in case of inadequate perception of risks or deliberate violation of occupational safety. It complies with the proposed principles of “smart protection” and includes continuous monitoring for the mine atmosphere parameters.