IMRB 2021 - Sylvester Yenzanya - University of Mines and Technology - Ghana

Selection of the Number of Rescue Brigades Required for a Mine Using Multi-Criteria Decision Model
University of Mines and Technology
The number of underground personnel has been used as the sole criterion for determining the number of rescue brigades required in most mines around the world. Because there are no standard criteria for selecting the needed number of rescue brigades for a mine, it varies from country to country. As a result, regardless of the number of personnel, the number of rescue brigades varies between mines. While the criterion has proven beneficial in mine rescue management for more than a century, it ignores any risk linked with mining operations. Over time, it has been clear that the number of rescue brigades is influenced by a variety of factors other than the number of underground employees alone. Because other elements such as the nature of the mine, the mining technique, and available process plants and other surface facilities must be considered, the criterion does not justify whether the number of rescue brigades placed in the mine is sufficient. There is a gap since the existing criteria do not
incorporate other mine variables. To close this gap, this study aims to establish the required number of rescue brigades by conducting a risk analysis of the entire mining operation.
The goals of this study was to: identify factors that impact the number of mine rescue brigades; rank factors that influence the number of brigades using multi-criteria decision making tools like Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Fuzzy-AHP; and compare and contrast factors that influence the number of brigades. Make recommendations after developing a model
to determine the number of rescue brigades required by a mine. Focus group, questionnaire administration, and interview with Subject Matter Experts, risk assessment utilising risk score elements were among the methodologies and processes used. A model was formulated in
the AHP framework. From the study, the following factors and their respective weights determine the number of mine rescue teams in a mine: Safety Culture (0.225); Employees per Shift (0.194); Resourcefulness of the Rescue Team (0.177); Number of Active Mines within the Mine and other Facilities, such as a process plant (0.146); Level of Mechanisation of the Mine (0.097); Mining Depth (0.082); and Nearness and Responsiveness of Sister Rescue Teams (0.079).