NIOSH Mine Emergency Escape Simulation Technology Available for Developers

Figure 1 – Pre-evacuation tutorial connected utilizing nan disposable multigas meter.

 Background

All underground ember miners successful nan United States person flight training connected a quarterly basis. This training prepares them for exiting nan excavation successful nan arena of an emergency and it must see stepping either nan superior aliases nan secondary flight way from their activity area to nan extracurricular (30 CFR, 2015). As a measurement to some study nan excavation emergency flight strategy and to supplement nan existing training, NIOSH researchers developed nan Mine Emergency Escape Training (or MEET) software. MEET uses a virtual immersive situation to create an underground ember excavation flight acquisition focusing connected knowledge of flight procedures while utilizing judgement and determination making skills. While NIOSH uses MEET arsenic a investigation tool, others tin usage it successful caller miner, yearly refresher, aliases emergency consequence training. MEET is due for underground ember miners astatine immoderate accomplishment aliases acquisition level. NIOSH is offering nan MEET package to developers willing successful tailoring nan training arsenic good arsenic to excavation information and wellness trainers, information managers and others who tin usage it “out-of-the-box” for their training needs.

The software, already utilized to train complete 1,000 miners, encourages participants to usage captious reasoning while escaping a virtual excavation emergency. When utilized successful a training scenario, nan included instructor’s guideline contains questions moderators tin inquire during nan after-action debriefing to reenforce learning and stimulate chat among participants astir emergency evacuations. The package includes 3 chopped components:

1. A pre-evacuation tutorial wherever users believe operating keyboard and rodent controls, interface pinch nan simulation, and study astir devices disposable to assistance their flight (Figure 1);
2. The underground simulation wherever users commencement astatine predetermined locations successful a virtual underground ember mine, and must evacuate to information (Figure 2);
3. A post-evacuation debriefing instrumentality wherever nan moderator reviews routes participants followed, actions they took, and decisions made.

Figure 2 – Miners communicating while escaping.

Developed utilizing nan Unreal 2® crippled engine, MEET tin run successful azygous subordinate mode for show connected a projector surface to a group of participants successful a classroom, aliases multiplayer mode pinch up to 4 computers connected via a router for group sessions. Multiplayer mode allows much than 1 subordinate to subordinate nan virtual excavation flight pinch each machine representing a different miner who must evacuate. Once underground, players tin determine whether to activity together to lick problems and make decisions during their evacuations aliases to evacuate connected their own.

In nan underground simulation participants are told of nan find of fume from an chartless root and that they must evacuate nan mine. They must determine nan people of action to successfully flight to safety. Based connected accusation presented passim nan simulation, they determine their flight routes, erstwhile to alteration their route, erstwhile to don a self-contained self-rescuer, what to do erstwhile they brushwood a tile autumn successful an escapeway, and whether they should retreat to nan refuge chamber.

In nan simulation participants person a assortment of devices they tin usage to thief successful their flight including escapeway lifelines, self-contained self-rescuer caches, multigas meters, study markers, and tether lines.

Figure 3 – Debriefing representation for an flight session.

Following nan underground simulation, nan moderator whitethorn behaviour a debriefing session. For each tally of nan simulation, nan package records each actions taken by participants and tin show a representation successful nan debriefing instrumentality (Figure 3) to reappraisal nan flight routes and actions escapees took. The post-evacuation debriefing serves arsenic nan ground for discussing escapees determination making and getting participants to talk astir their decisions. They besides person nan opportunity to stock individual stories and study from each other.

NIOSH researchers conducted field-testing of MEET arsenic a training instrumentality pinch a mining institution during their yearly occurrence prevention training. The study included 68 trainees. The mean property of nan trainees was 39 years and they averaged complete 10 years of mining experience.

In a post-training feedback session, trainees reported that nan simulation was applicable to their needs and was realistic. Trainees besides felt that nan MEET simulation has robust training worth successful improving their preparedness.

NIOSH is making nan MEET package available, arsenic is, for download by excavation information and wellness trainers, information managers and others. Click present to entree MEET . You will find links to nan MEET software, a PDF of nan instructor’s guideline and excavation map, and a extremity expanse for users. Our dream is that nan mining manufacture will find nan training aspects of nan MEET package useful successful improving their workforce’s expertise to grip excavation emergency evacuations.

Timothy J. Orr

Mr. Orr is simply a machine technologist successful nan NIOSH Pittsburgh Mining Research Division.