Safety Terms

Mines Rescue Station

An entity set up for the specific purpose of safety training and mine disaster rescue.

Second Means of Egress

The alternative roadways from the working area of the mine which can be used in an emergency.

Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus

A self-contained supply of oxygen used during rescue work from coal mine fires and explosions. Sometimes called self-contained self rescuer (SCSR).

Self-Rescuer

Worn by miners and used in the event of a suspected explosion Used to remove lethal quantities of carbon monoxide (and other poisonous gases) from the breathed air.

Standard Mortality Ratio (SMR)

Actual deaths as a percentage of expected deaths for any given population or cause of death

Stonedust

Crushed limestone (calcium carbonate) added to coal dust to reduce its potential to

explode.

Stone Dusting

Operation of spraying finely ground limestone or other non-combustible and non-siliceous dust on to coal. The limestone particles mix with the coal dust and reduce the possibility of a coal dust explosion

Resources

Metcalfe, Andrew, W., For freedom and Dignity: historical agency and class structures in the Coalfields of NSW, Allen & Auwin Sydney 1988.

Tonks, Ed. Coal mining in the Hunter Valley, 1979.

University of Wollongong. Mine Glossary. From http://www.uow.edu.au/eng/outburst/html/Overview/glossarydata.html . Retrieved on 14/03/2013.