My Friend's Tragedy: Near Miss

                Tragedies are bound to happen in the mining industry till the safety practices aren't ensured. These tragedies when hit by the media roundabout the clock it creates the dreadful image of the mining industry in the minds of the common people. The manner the mining people deal with the accidents is the worthwhile watch for example the rescue operation in the San Jose mine, Chile. My friend, Graduate Engineer Trainee in the industry happened to bump into an accident in the underground mine from which he escaped nearing to death. The way he handled the situation and the modifications he brought up to prevent the further damage was commendable.

                Near Miss otherwise known as close call is an unplanned event that did not result in injury, illness or damage but had the potential to do so. Near miss events ante cede the major disaster that causes huge losses. Reporting the near miss accidents can enhance the safety aspects of the organization. Preventive measures have to be adopted to avert the incident on a larger scale.

                My friend being in the industry for a month was acquainted of the underground mine and was allotted a specific work each day by his superiors. His work was to acquire knowledge about the working of the mines and to get prepared for handling his charge. On that particular day he was sent for pump inspection in the mine. He as a newbie was standing at the corner of the cement parting between the sumps shut by planks and the mining mate who has accompanied him was inspecting and having small talk with the worker about the working and maintenance of pumps. Within a fraction of a second the middle plank on the main sump collapsed, the planks at the corner slide inwards and him ending up slipping deep into the main sump. The main sump was filled with all kinds of scrap and it has become the quicksand at certain depth. The moment he slipped he searched for his helmet to affix it in the hook but the helmet wasn't on his head till his hand reached his head. He wanted to grab the helmet but it was lying far away from his arm’s distance and he was not able to proceed towards that direction. Mining mate quickly reacted upon the incident by extending the cable present at that location towards him and he was dragged out of the sump. He rested for a while at that pointed being appalled but made up his mind and started to exercise his duty.

                He took it as a challenge to improvise the area such that no one can ever face the situation that he has gone through. He made the senior authorities to register a near miss incident. He himself supervised the safety arrangements by constructing the barricades around the sumps. The reason here was simple that the plank was weakened in strength and finally got cracked by constant exposure to the water. The constant inspection and alertness could have averted the incident but this created awareness among the people and increased the safety aspects.