U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health TRAPED

MENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES . USA

NIOSH Releases New Computer-Based 

Training Exercise Called MERITS 

Objective

As mines become safer and disasters fewer, a time may come

when no employees in the mining industry have any practical

experience in managing a mine emergency. To fill an emerging gap

in mine emergency response training, a multidisciplinary team of

researchers and computer programmers from the NIOSH Pittsburgh

Research Laboratory has developed an intervention for mining

personnel who would be in leadership positions in the command

center during emergencies. It is called MERITS, a computer-based

emergency simulation exercise. MERITS is short for "Mine

Emergency Response Interactive Training Simulation." It provides

trainees an opportunity to gain command center experience during a

simulated underground coal mine emergency. MERITS allows

trainees to practice information gathering, situation assessment,

decision-making, and coordination skills without risk to personnel

or property. Individuals representing mine emergency response

personnel, various State safety officials, and private mine management from three States have participated in MERITS training.

What Is MERITS?

MERITS is an extension of previous work that compiled a

knowledge base relevant to mine disaster management via

interviews, analysis of literature, reviews of past events, and

observations of mock mine disasters. Findings from prior research

found a need for an alternative method of command center training.

This new computer simulation is being used to train emergency

command center personnel to effectively manage an underground

mine fire. Modeled after training simulations developed for other

industries (e.g., to address nuclear accidents, chemical spills,

evacuations, etc.), MERITS simulates underground and surface

events related to the disaster. It exposes the user to events that

typically occur during a mine emergency, such as lack of information

and miscommunica-tion. It also presents trainees with issues that

must be addressed, such as making provisions for briefing news

media and victims' families, ordering needed supplies, interfacing

with Government enforcement agencies, and housing mine rescue

teams. The outcome of the

scenario is determined by the users' decisions and their emergency

response plans.

Field Results

Field testing of MERITS was conducted with eight full-day

training sessions at four different locations in Colorado,

Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. These field tests benefited from

the knowledge and experience of State of Pennsylvania inspection

officials, representatives of the United Mine Workers of America

(UMWA), and private mine management who served as trainees for

the MERITS training sessions. Trainees self-reported an average of

20 years of work experience in the mining industry. All trainees had

participated in Mine Emergency Response Development (MERD)

training exercises, and many had been involved in real mine

emergencies. Trainee evaluation of the MERITS program is

summarized below:

• Twenty-six of the 27 trainees believed that the MERITS

simulation helped them know how to prepare for a real

emergency.

• Twenty-five of the 27 trainees believed that the storyline for the

MERITS simulation was either "very realistic" or "realistic."

• All 27 trainees believed that the MERITS simulation helped them

learn how to better handle a real emergency. 

• None of the 27 trainees stated that they were bored during the

simulation.

After the initial field tests, MERITS was refined and retested

during training sessions for individuals from State agencies, the

UMWA, and private industry. Mining personnel from underground

coal and underground stone mines participated and responded

positively to the learning experience.

Technology Transfer

Industry introduction to the MERITS program will occur

throughout 2002. MERITS presentations at the Joseph A. Holmes

Safety Association National Meeting in Virginia Beach, VA, in June.

Technology News

Milestones in Mining Safety and Health Technology

SAFER HEALTHIER PEOPLE

No. 496 June 2002
Figure 1.—Trainers working with trainees during MERITS session. Figure 2.—MERITS main screen.

2002 and the 33rd Annual Institute on Mining Health, Safety and

Research in Roanoke, VA, in August 2002 will provide an overview

of the program. Of particular interest to organizations and

individuals who conduct mine emergency response will be two

"Train the Trainer" seminars. These seminars will be organized as

a "how-to" guide for running a successful MERITS training session.

These hands-on seminars will cover all aspects of a training session,

from installing the software to setting up a classroom and

successfully running a session. A seminar to target training

professionals in the Western United States will be held on June 21,

2002, in Grand Junction, CO, and will be cosponsored by the State

of Colorado's Department of Natural Resources. Training

professionals in the Eastern United States will have the opportunity

to attend the second "Train the Trainer" session during the

TRAM/NMIC conference in October 2002 in Beckley, WV. 

For More Information

For more information about the MERITS training program,

contact Launa G. Mallett, Ph.D., NIOSH Pittsburgh Research

Laboratory, Cochrans Mill Rd., P.O. Box 18070, Pittsburgh, PA

15236-0070; phone: (412) 386-6658; e-mail: LMallett@cdc.gov

To receive additional information about occupational safety

and health problems, call 1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800-356-4674),

or visit the NIOSH Web site at www.cdc.gov/niosh

Mention of any company name or product does not constitute

endorsement by the National Institute for Occupational Safety

and Health.