Accident report: Preliminary findings on the cause of the accident at Jinshangou Coal Mine in Chongqing

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Preliminary findings on the cause of the accident at Jinshangou Coal Mine in Chongqing – Gas accumulation occurred due to mining operations being carried out in areas where such activities were prohibited, with insufficient ventilation; a gas explosion was triggered by illegal blasting. 2016-11-03 | Author: Shen Wenjing | Source: China Mining News | [Large Medium Small][Print][Close] The Office of the State Council’s Safety Committee recently issued a report on the gas explosion that occurred at Jinshangou Coal Mine in Yongchuan District, Chongqing, on October 31. The report states that, based on preliminary analysis, the cause of the accident was the accumulation of gas resulting from mining operations carried out in an area where production was prohibited, as well as the use of low-intensity blasting methods; these factors led to a gas explosion. To thoroughly learn from the painful lessons of these accidents and effectively prevent and curb severe accidents, the notice calls for conducting thorough inspections of coal mine safety production, strengthening efforts to address major gas-related disasters in coal mines, cracking down on illegal and irregular production practices, and enhancing supervision and oversight of coal mine safety. 　　On October 31, 2016, a gas explosion occurred at the Jinshangou Coal Mine in Yongchuan District, Chongqing. According to the latest updates, the bodies of the last 15 missing miners have all been found, the search and rescue operations are complete, and all 33 people lost their lives. Currently, all parties are working swiftly to identify the remains and handle the follow-up arrangements. 　　Following the accident, **** and other leaders of the State Council attached great importance to it and issued important instructions, ordering that every effort be made to search for and rescue those trapped, that rescue operations be carried out scientifically, and that secondary disasters be prevented. At the same time, they urged all regions to draw serious lessons from this accident, strengthen coal mine safety measures in all aspects, and resolutely prevent the occurrence of severe accidents. **The head of the State Administration for Work Safety and the head of the **Coal Mine Safety Supervision Bureau immediately led a working team to the accident site at great speed, and together with the key officials in Chongqing**, they supervised and coordinated the emergency rescue efforts. 　　The report indicates that the mine is a township coal mine and a low-gas mine, with a designed production capacity of 60,000 tons per year. Preliminary analysis indicates that the accident was caused by gas accumulation resulting from mining operations in an area where the mine was operating illegally beyond its permitted limits, as well as from the use of low-intensity blasting methods; these factors led to a gas explosion. The major issues exposed by the accident include five problems: illegal organization of production, unlawful production using outdated and obsolete mining methods that involve digging instead of extraction, evasion of safety regulations, chaotic safety management, and resuming production in areas beyond designated limits without proper inspection. 　　The report states that the fourth quarter has traditionally been a period with a high incidence of serious accidents in coal mines; especially now, as coal prices continue to rise and there is a strong desire for coal mines that have been shut down to resume operations, the factors that can lead to accidents have increased significantly. All regions must organize carefully and make thorough plans to carry out comprehensive inspections on coal mine safety production in a solid and effective manner. Any issues and potential risks identified during the inspection must be addressed immediately ； For those that cannot be rectified immediately, a rectification plan must be formulated, ensuring the ‘five implementations’ of responsibilities, measures, funds, time limits, and contingency plans. Those who cause accidents due to failure to fulfill their job responsibilities or inadequate preventive measures shall be held strictly accountable in accordance with laws and regulations. 　　The notice requires that coal mining enterprises assume their primary responsibilities, attach great importance to the prevention and control of major disasters such as gas leaks, aim for zero gas level excesses, strictly follow the gas management principles of \"extracting gas after pumping it out first, carrying out monitoring, and determining production levels based on wind conditions\", and adopt scientific approaches for comprehensive management. Ventilation management must be strengthened; operations in conditions of no wind or weak wind are strictly prohibited, as are any unauthorized practices related to series ventilation and recirculated air. The gas inspection system must be strictly enforced; in the event of a gas level exceeding the allowable limit, power supply must be cut off immediately and personnel evacuated, the cause must be identified, potential hazards eliminated, and corrective measures established and put into effect. 　　The notice requires that all regions carry out a special campaign to crack down on activities involving overbuilding and exceeding permitted limits, in light of the actual conditions regarding coal mine safety production in their respective areas; particular focus should be placed on addressing illegal practices such as fake sealing measures and fake drawings. It is necessary to improve the mechanism for joint law enforcement; under the unified leadership of local authorities, it is important to clarify the responsibilities of various agencies such as those responsible for safety supervision, coal mine safety inspection, public security, land and resources management, and electricity supply, so as to create a coordinated effort in carrying out these tasks. Penalties need to be intensified; for coal mines that engage in illegal activities, the \"four mandatory measures\" of imposing maximum penalties in accordance with the law, ordering them to suspend operations for rectification, shutting them down, and holding those responsible legally should be applied ； For mines that have been shut down for long-term rectification, relevant licenses and permits should be temporarily withheld in accordance with the law. It is necessary to improve law enforcement methods. In response to issues such as fake sealing measures, fraudulent plans, operations that cease during the day but resume at night, and operations that appear to stop but actually continue in secret in illegal coal mining activities, various tactics such as surprise inspections, nighttime checks, and covert investigations should be employed to examine all coal mines within the jurisdiction (including those that have been shut down for a long time), in order to take firm action against all types of illegal activities. It is necessary to strengthen the coordination between administrative law enforcement and criminal justice. Cases of illegal production that may constitute a crime should be resolutely referred to judicial authorities in accordance with the law; penalties alone should not be used in place of criminal sanctions. 　　The notice states that coal mine safety supervision and inspection agencies at all levels, as well as the authorities in charge of the coal industry, should carefully identify the weak points in their work, strengthen supervision over key coal mines and critical areas, and take effective measures to ensure safe coal mining operations at the turn of the year.