Arc Flash & Electrical Safety News

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Mine Blast Kills 39 Workers

This news item caught my eye because I've just returned from a 12 day trip to Russia. Last Thursday an explosion in a Russian coal mine resulted in the death of 39 workers. This is the second major coal mining disaster in Russian in the past two months. In March a coal mine explosion resulted in the deaths of 110 workers.

What was the cause of this most recent tragedy? The Moscow Times reports:

"Alexander Sekachyov, spokesman for the agency's Southern Federal District office, said a preliminary investigation of the affected coal faces in the Yubileinaya mine revealed that a power cable had become detached from a coal-cutting machine, electrifying its exterior. This resulted in an electric arc or a spark that produced the initial blast, which then ignited coal dust in the mine, he said."

Labels: Electrical Safety, Mining