Mine rescue and self-escape survey: Current preparedness perceptions and availability of training modalities

New mining health and safety training modalities are becoming increasingly prevalent in the underground mining industry. Various digital training tools have been developed over the past several years, but the extent of their use remains unclear. Advances in gamified training by way of computer-based video games and virtual reality (VR) have opened a new avenue for mine rescue and self-escape training, but these methods have not been widely adopted across the mining industry. Mine rescue and self-escape situations require a mix of in-classroom training as well as live drills, but it is important to assess the extent of and effectiveness of new training modalities. The Mine Rescue and Self-Escape Survey (MRSES) was distributed to underground mining operations to collect perceptions of current training effectiveness as well as willingness to adopt new training methods as a complement to live rescue drills. Responses from the MRSES indicate that adoption of digital training technologies has been slow-going despite an interest in their use. Further, there appears to be no meaningful connection between more frequent escape and rescue training and feelings of emergency preparedness. With relatively little use of already developed digital training tools but an interest in their adoption, it may be time to reassess current emergency preparedness training philosophies. Background Underground mining operations rely on various training methods to prepare underground workers for disaster and emergency scenarios. While digital training modalities like VR and serious games have been developed for use by the mining industry, their effectiveness is still largely untested because the industry has been slow to adopt these new training techniques. These new training technologies provide an opportunity to shift away from live rescue training and slideshow-based training exclusively. Ideally, gamified training modalities should complement current emergency preparedness training to provide another layer of support in the face of emergency situations. The MRSES was designed to better understand the current state of underground self-escape and rescue training with a focus on gamified training technologies, training frequency and perceived preparedness of underground miners for emergency situations. Methods The MRSES was developed as a series of 29 questions, covering topics including perceptions of emergency preparedness, current training frequency and methods, and willingness to adopt new training methods to supplement current training approaches. This survey was made available to 65 individuals employed in underground mining with some level of involvement in their operation’s health and safety oversight over a 12-month period, collecting a total of 41 anonymous responses. Responses were collected without regard to commodity or geographical region to collect a picture of industry-wide training approaches. Results and discussion Live training exercises are common for mine rescue and self-escape preparation in underground mines. The frequency of these training exercises is wide-ranging, with workers with less experience typically being involved in live training less frequently than those more experienced. Even then, training frequencies are highly variable, indicating a need for regular emergency preparedness training for all workers, regardless of level of experience.While confidence in mine rescue teams is generally high (Fig. 1), neither the frequency of live training exercises nor years of experience in the industry correlates with increased feelings of preparedness. This is in direct opposition to responses on the MRSES, where the majority of respondents felt that live training exercises should happen more frequently for mine rescue teams as well as general self-escape. There is a clear mismatch between training frequency and feelings of preparedness, but the consensus appears to be that more training alone will yield better outcomes. Fig. 1 Confidence in respondents’ mine rescue teams. Increasing the frequency of training alone is unlikely to improve feelings of emergency preparedness. In fact, a ceiling may exist at which an increase in training frequency does not yield an improvement in learning outcomes. Consideration should be given instead to the adoption of new training methods to complement current approaches. This is especially important because blended training methods (such as hands-on activities, classroom teaching, serious games) tend to improve intrinsic motivation in learners, which in turn improves learning outcomes and material retention. Theoretically, the adoption of additional training methods could help to address the disconnect between training frequency and feelings of preparedness for situations involving mine rescue and self-escape. Fig. 2 Training tools used at respondents’ sites. Training modalities like computer-based simulation, VR and video games have been used to a small extent, as indicated by the responses to the MRSES (Fig. 2). While live rescue training and slideshow-based classroom training remain the most prevalent methods, the adoption of additional training methods appears promising. Sentiment surrounding the use of new training approaches is mixed, with the overwhelming majority of MRSES respondents indicating that they feel positive or ambivalent about the inclusion of training tools like VR and serious games. One reason that the adoption of new training methods may be slow lies in the fact that these new training technologies have only been recently developed and not widely trialed across the mining industry. Operations may be understandably hesitant to include unproven training methods into mission-critical emergency preparedness training, but it appears that a leap of faith could be necessary for the industry to become widely accepting of training methods outside of live emergency drills and slideshow-based training. While this jump should give pause, the use of new methods as a complement to current approaches may help long-term learning outcomes as well as feelings of emergency preparedness for underground miners. Conclusion The MRSES was developed to gather an initial picture of current rescue and self-escape training methods as well as feelings of emergency preparedness. While there is a desire to increase training frequency, more training opportunities do not translate to improved feelings of emergency preparedness in underground mining. As such, it may be time to branch out and adopt new training methods like serious games and VR, even when these new tools have not been widely tested. With an interest in or ambivalence toward the use of digital and alternative training methods, the adoption of new approaches may help to improve perceptions of emergency preparedness while improving long-term learning outcomes and material retention for all miners. References A list of all references is available in the full paper.

Mine rescue and self-escape survey: Current preparedness perceptions and availability of training modalities

Authored by: Kate Brown Requist, Athira Satheesh, Carter Brown, Eric Lutz and Moe Momayez

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