Page 21 - Advances In Productive, Safe, and Responsible Coal Mining

8 Advances in Productive, Safe, and Responsible Coal Mining

At first glance, each of these critical issues may appear to be an independent or mutually
exclusive objective; however, when they are dealt with as such, profitability comes into
question.
For coal mining to be successful as a business, profitability is essential. A mine is
profitable when revenues exceed costs. Health and safety issues and environmental
stewardship affect the cost component of profitability. Focusing on them without suf-
ficient attention to productivity may result in achieving lower costs, but with insuffi-
cient production to generate enough revenue to cover those costs. The key parameter
affecting both revenue and cost is productivity. Productivity is measured as the rate of
output produced per unit of required input. For coal mines, output is generally
expressed in tons. Required input includes many components, the largest of which
is labor. Thus, input is generally expressed in man-hours. Monetary values are asso-
ciated with both output and input to derive profitability.
Coal reserves remain abundant, but those with the most favorable mining condi-
tions continue to be depleted leaving mine operators to deal with difficult productivity
challenges. Coupled with that, coal mining is still a dangerous occupation despite
decades of safety advancements. Although less frequent, fatalities and disasters con-
tinue to occur with each one resulting in substantial costs and causing irreparable dam-
age to the image of the entire industry. Coal mining’s environmental footprint
continues to be reduced as a result of two generations of trained professionals applying
the latest technology and scientific information in cooperation with regulatory author-
ities, but to environmental activists, it is not enough.
In facing these challenges, the tendency is to become narrowly focused on the most
pressing issue: to become a specialist in safety, productivity, or the environment. This
specialization can lead to the dilemma of “not seeing the forest for the trees.” To aid in
resisting that tendency, this book takes the approach that the most meaningful
advances in profitable coal mining address at least two of the three critical issues that
have been identified. The book is divided into three sections. The first focuses on
advances that improve productivity and safety; the second focuses on advances that
improve safety and environmental responsibility; and the third focuses on advances in
environmental responsibility and productivity. It is hoped that this approach will pro-
vide the reader with a more holistic perspective on advancements that can adopted in
an effort to achieve greater profitability. Further, it is hoped that this approach will
serve as a useful guide to those seeking to deliver those advances that will come in
the years after this book is published.

References

[1] National Mining Association (NMA). Missions & objectives, https://nma.org/about-nma/
mission-objectives/; 2018. Accessed 22 May 2018.
[2] CoreSafety. Why core safety? It’s good business, http://www.coresafety.org/why-
coresafety/safety-is-also-good-business/; 2018. Accessed 22 May 2018.
[3] CoreSafety. The 0:50:5 objective, http://www.coresafety.org/core-safety-overview/;
2018. Accessed 22 May 2018.