Fear of cave-in keeps Kemi chromium miners alert

Accident like the one in Chile “not possible in Kemi”

print this

By Marjo Valtavaara
     
      Soon after the opening at the surface, the shaft of the Kemi chromium mine plunges sharply downward into the depths. It is the start of a three-kilometre-long dive into the lower levels of the mine dug into solid rock.
      The feeling at the bottom is one of being very far below the surface of the earth. What if something like the mine accident in Chile were to happen here, and the tunnel would start to collapse?
      “The kind of accident that happened in Chile is not possible here. There are two ways out. It is possible to go up both along a tunnel road, and with an elevator. In addition, there are ladders in the ventilation channels”, says the mine’s director Antti Pihko.
     
Pihko is not afraid of cave-ins, but fires do worry him. “A fire could cause a major disaster, if a machine were to catch fire, and some were to be cut off locally.”
     
There was a fire at the Kemi mine a few years ago, when the brakes of a lorry failed. The vehicle plunged into the wall of the mine and caught fire.
      The driver was injured, and the fire was brought under control, but the situation was dangerous. The exit routes of the unfinished mine were not ready yet.
      “It was a frightening experience, which will be remembered for a long time. Vehicles used in mining need to be in good condition, and here they are serviced very carefully”, Pihko says.
     
Miners Lassi Puumalainen and Janne Piirala are drilling a blasting hole at a depth of 450 metres. The accident in Chile gets the mining professionals to think about their own safety.
      “The fact is that if something happened in this slanted tunnel, there would only be one way out. The closest protected place would be a cafeteria which lies at a depth of 500 metres”, Puumalainen notes.
      Piirala feels that a healthy amount of fear is good in mining. “It is better to do things slowly than in a hurry. If this drill were to catch fire, there is an automatic engine extinguishing system that can be triggered from the cabin.
     
Outside the cabin there are hand-held fire extinguishers and escape packages with reserve oxygen. In addition to solid protected areas, the mine has moveable metal shipping containers which provide protection for miners waiting for help to arrive.
      Puumalainen and Piirala cannot escape detection as long as they leave their telephones on. The location of each employee can be seen on the surface.
     
No industrial accidents occurred at the Kemi mine last year, and two minor accidents have happened this year.
      Engineer Erkki Törmäkangas says that security thinking has improved considerably in a few years. Hazardous situations are examined, and exercises are held once a month. Large rescue exercises are held once a year.
     
Before we emerge into the light of day, Törmä warns us of the power of the light. Especially in springtime the light of the sun can temporarily blind someone coming out of the mine.
      “Working in a mine requires some getting used to, and not everyone is up to it. Some cannot even bring themselves to visit the mine. When groups come here for a visit, there is always someone who wants to go back to the surface.”
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 6.9.2009


Links:
  Mining Weekly: Outokumpu says Kemi mine richer than thought (19.1.2010)

MARJO VALTAVAARA / Helsingin Sanomat
marjo.valtavaara@hs.fi