Shelter means hope for trapped miners

A mining safety chamber to shelter miners during accidents is on display in Changsha, capital of Hunan province, on Monday. It can help 12 people survive disasters underground. Chen Yong / for China Daily

CHANGSHA - A manufacturer in Central China's Hunan province announced that its safety shelter can sustain 10 people for 111 hours during mine accidents.

China's top safety administration has called on all mines to finish construction of emergency relief systems by 2015 in a directive that is driving more than 100 companies in the country to develop the chambers for a market potentially worth 400 billion yuan ($63.3 billion), according to insiders.

"It is a place that I can move into and sleep and eat well inside," said Wang Ying, coming out of the closed compartment on Sunday after 111 hours with other nine people.

"From biscuits and water to magazines and cards, all the necessities normally found on a train can be found there," Wang said, referring to how he passed the "boring" days.

Resembling a train carriage, the box chamber went through tests in which electricity and air supply were cut off from it, and surrounding temperature was constantly kept at 55 C.

Wang Shengchu, deputy general manager of the manufacturer, said the steel shell of the mobile capsule can withstand pressure as high as 60 kilograms per square centimeter.

And easily accessible meters in the insulated compartment give a reading of the temperature as well as the concentration of gas and toxins outside.

The toilet in the space is specially designed. Excrement goes into a locked space before being discharged in order to prevent toxic gas from entering the capsule.

"The chamber also provides a comfortable living room, dehumidified air and a radio speaker in addition to the essentials," Wang added.

Jiang Zuntao, head of the development team, said the team studied similar products made by US and Australian companies, but the chamber still could not protect miners in extreme situations, such as a devastating explosion.

"Remaining hopeful is the most difficult part of surviving an accident for miners. We want our chamber to give hope to those who are trapped."

A supervisor from the Mining Products Safety Approval and Certification Center announced that the test was valid and successful.

However, the State Administration of Work Safety and the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety have yet to endorse a set of national specifications for standard safety chambers.

Chen Dongke, an official with the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety, said on Tuesday that the watchdog's tech-equipment department has been soliciting public opinions and is reviewing feedback from local authorities and stakeholders on a draft of general specifications for refuge chambers since September 2011.

Nearly 2,000 people in China perished in coal mine accidents in 2011, according to mining safety officials. It was the first time in 10 years that the number of casualties was brought down to less than 2,000.

China Daily

(China Daily 01/18/2012 page3)