A few months ago, my colleague Dave Duncan reviewed the CRSP and CSP designations. As the safety profession expands, many occupations have sprouted their own safety qualifications and designations. I'm going to cover two safety professional certifications in the mining industry: the Mine Safety Professional (MSP) and the Certified Mine Safety Professional (CMSP). Today, let's look at the MSP.

The International Society of Mine Safety Professionals

The MSP and CMSP designations are awarded by the International Society of Mine Safety Professionals (ISMSP).

Originally founded in 1991, the ISMSP is an educational foundation devoted to mine safety. It introduced the MSP and CMSP certifications to cover the gap that existed between more general safety certifications and the specialized needs of mine safety supervisors and other related professionals.

What Is an MSP?

The designation of Mine Safety Professional (MSP) is awarded to individuals who don't yet have enough years of experience to qualify for the CMSP designation (which we'll explain more fully in part 2 of this article), but who pass an examination and meet the other requirements of the designation.

According to the ISMSP, to earn an MSP designation an applicant must have at least three years of active involvement in mine safety or a BS or BA degree in Mining Engineering, Mine Health and Safety (or related disciplines), or an expectation of earning such a degree within six months of having taken the examination. The candidate must also possess a suitable combination of academic accomplishment and working experience in the area of mine health and safety.

The Costs of MSP Designation

MSP applicants must also be a member in good standing of the ISMSP. The initial fee for ISMSP membership is $200. ISMSP also offers a four-day preparation course for $1,000. The fee for taking the exam is $250. Total cost: $1,450 (U.S. dollars).

The only cost involved in maintaining the MSP designation is the yearly ISMSP renewal fee of $150 required to remain a member in good standing.

Conclusion

Mining remains one of the most dangerous of industries and one that involves unique technical challenges. So it's very appropriate that there should be specific designations for mining safety professionals. MSP is the first of these. But the CMSP represents the gold standard in professional mining safety designations. Next week, I'll tell you about how to achieve and maintain CMSP status.

THIS DATE IN HISTORY

The Quecreek Mine Rescue

July 26, 2002

By Catherine Jones

Five years ago today, many of us were caught up in worried speculation about the fate of nine miners trapped 240 feet below ground in the Quecreek Mine in Pennsylvania.

It began two days earlier, on July 24. At 8:50 pm, a barrier pillar between Quecreek Mine and an adjacent abandoned mine was breached, releasing a flood of 50 million gallons of groundwater into the mine. Two crews were underground. The 1st Left Crew alerted the 2nd Left Crew of the danger via the mine phone. The 2nd Left Crew escaped. But the nine miners in the 1st Left Crew were unable to escape. They'd remain underground for another 78 hours, huddled together in a 20-foot-high, 4-foot-wide air bubble, above frigid water, unable to move to higher ground.

For rescuers, the immediate need was to find a drill rig large enough to bore a hole for the escape shaft. In the meantime, pumps were set up and drilling of a 6-inch hole began. It reached the miners at 3:30am. Rescuers bustled with optimism when they heard banging on the drill - a signal from the miners. A current of hot air was pumped through this chamber to hold back hypothermia and rising water.

The drill rig was in place at 2:30 pm and by early evening rescuers began to dig out a rescue shaft. That's when the problems began. At 1:50 am, after boring down 105 feet, the 30-inch drill bit was lost down the hole. Rescue efforts were brought to a standstill. The next 19 hours would be marked by a series of frustrating delays.

At last, the drilling resumed. At 10:20 pm, drilling broke through into the mine. A microphone was lowered into the hole. Were any of the miners still alive? Or had they succumbed to the cold and/or lack of oxygen? We all waited intently to find out.

Word finally came. And it was the word we all had prayed for. All nine miners were alive and well.

The escape capsule was lowered into the hole and retrieved each of the miners one-by-one. They were shaken but still in one piece.

Later, it was determined that the incident was caused by the use of an undated and uncertified mine map of the adjacent abandoned mine. The success of the rescue was attributed to a group effort of various government agencies, volunteers and the miners themselves, beginning with the initial alerting of the 2nd Left Crew, their knowledge of proper escape procedures and the decisions made by the nine trapped miners. The main reason they were able to survive is that they stayed together and worked together as a team.

MEMBER REPLY

Off-the-Job Safety

I enjoyed your comments regarding off-the-job safety, and agree with you whole-heartedly. A fifth point should also be considered, which involves that fact that on-the-job safety is not a switch that can be flipped to the "on" position when a worker hits the front gate when the workday begins or should be turned to the "off" position at the end of the shift.

To be successful, safety is a value that needs to be ingrained within and demonstrated by the organization (i.e., by the leaders and by each individual). The two legs for the "safety triangle" involving the attitudes of the people and the behaviors of the individuals are ones that are molded on a 24/7 basis. In short, a truly successful on-the-job safety management system needs to include the element of promoting and developing off-the-job safety.

Gary C. Wolf
Wolf Safety Group, LLC

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