RI 9685 

REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS/ 2011 

Man Mountain’s Refuge:
 

Mine Refuge Chamber Training
 

Instructor’s Guide and
 

Trainee’s Problem Book
 

Department of Health and Human Services 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
Report of Investigations 9685 

Man Mountain’s Refuge: Refuge Chamber Training 

Instructor’s Guide and Trainee’s Problem Book 

Michael J. Brnich, Jr., CMSP, Charles Vaught, Ph.D. (ret), 

Kathleen M. Kowalski-Trakofler, Ph.D. 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
 
 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
 

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
 

Office of Mine Safety and Health Research
 

Pittsburgh, PA • Spokane, WA
 

July 2011 
This document is in the public domain and may be freely 

copied or reprinted. 

Disclaimer 

Mention of any company or product does not constitute endorsement by the 

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). In addition, citations to Web 

sites external to NIOSH do not constitute NIOSH endorsement of the sponsoring organizations 

or their programs or products. Furthermore, NIOSH is not responsible for the content of these 

Web sites. 

The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily 

represent the views of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 

Ordering Information 

To receive documents or other information about occupational safety and health topics, 

contact NIOSH at 

Telephone: 1–800–CDC–INFO (1–800–232–4636)
 

TTY: 1–888–232–6348
 

e-mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov
 

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

For a monthly update on news at NIOSH, subscribe to NIOSH eNews by visiting 

www.cdc.gov/niosh/eNews. 

DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2011–195 

July 2011 

SAFER • HEALTHIER • PEOPLETM 
Contents
 

Instructor’s Guide 

Exercise Summary..................................................................................................................... 1
 

How to Use This Exercise .......................................................................................................... 2
 

Performance Objectives for Man Mountain’s Refuge: Mine Refuge Chamber Training Exercise 3
 

Objectives .......................................................................................................................... 3
 

Intended Audiences............................................................................................................ 3
 

Instructor’s Discussion Notes and Teaching Points.................................................................... 4
 

Additional Points for Discussion ......................................................................................... 9
 

Answer Key for Man Mountain’s Refuge Exercise.....................................................................12
 
 

References ...............................................................................................................................13
 
 

Trainee’s Problem Book
 

Instructions........................................................................................................................14
 
 

Training Exercise...............................................................................................................15
 
 

Problem.............................................................................................................................16
 
 

Questions Pertaining to the Exercise.................................................................................19
 
 

Finding Your Score............................................................................................................32
 
 

Figures 

Figure 1. 9 Right section map – face.........................................................................................17
 

Figure 2. 9 Right section map – outby.......................................................................................18
 
Acronyms and Abbreviations 

CM continuous miner 

CO carbon monoxide 

NIOSH National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 

SCSR self-contained self-rescuer 

Units of Measure 

ft foot or feet 

lb pound 

ppm parts per million 
Man Mountain’s Refuge: Refuge Chamber Training
 

Instructor’s Guide and Trainee’s Problem Book
 

Michael J. Brnich, Jr., CMSP, Charles Vaught, Ph.D. (ret),
 

Kathleen M. Kowalski-Trakofler, Ph.D.
 

Office of Mine Safety and Health Research
 

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
 

Exercise Summary 

This instructor’s guide is designed for use by instructors who train mine employees on how and 

when to use a mine refuge chamber, and aids the instructor in reinforcing the critical decisions 

that have to be made during a mining emergency. The discussion notes and teaching points 

included in this instructor’s guide are based on a paper-and-pencil simulation exercise that 

trainees use to learn about the choices that must be made in an emergency situation. In this 

exercise, trainees work through an interactive story that presents a scenario in which a section 

crew, along with additional general labor workers, must decide what to do when they learn there 

is a fire somewhere in the mine, but do not know the exact location. One of the characters in this 

story is Man Mountain, a member of the labor crew. As time goes by, the miners face a series of 

choices about how best to increase their chances for survival. The story is taken in part from reallife incidents. The teaching instructions in this instructor’s guide have been designed for use with 

the simulation exercise, which is included in the Trainee’s Problem Book.The completion of this 

exercise can help new miners, experienced miners, trainers, and others, who must deal with 

issues of self-rescue and escape, to become more aware of: (1) the need to gather as much 

information as possible as early as possible; (2) the value of knowing one’s escapeways; (3) the 

need to use self-contained self-rescuers (SCSRs) properly; (4) the value of a multigas detector in 

an emergency; (5) when, and under what circumstances, to enter a refuge chamber; and (6) how 

to recognize the reaction signs of traumatic incident stress. 
How to Use This Exercise
 

The following guidelines will help you, as the instructor, direct the training session: 

•	 Inform trainees that the mine in the exercise may be laid out different from their own 

mine. Discuss the mine layout with the class and highlight specific differences. 

•	 Define any terms with which trainees may not be familiar. 

•	 Have trainees read through the Trainee’s Problem Book and, for each statement, select 

“YES” for agree or “NO” for disagree. 

•	 After trainees have completed the exercise, have them look at the answer key (which is 

provided in this guide). Be sure trainees do not look at the answer key before they 

complete the exercise. 

•	 The exercise should take about 30 minutes to administer and 30 minutes for discussion. 

Use the training materials in one of the following ways: 

o	 During annual refresher training to introduce and discuss the decisionmaking 

process associated with the use of portable and permanent refuge alternatives. 

o	 As part of mandated quarterly escape drills. 

•	 You will need the following materials to administer the exercise: 

o	 “Man Mountain’s Refuge: Trainee’s Problem Book” for each trainee (which can 

be copied from this guide). 

o	 An exercise answer key for each trainee (which can be copied from this guide). 

o	 This document, “Man Mountain’s Refuge Instructor’s Guide and Trainee’s 

Problem Book,” with answer key and discussion notes for each instructor. 

2 
Performance Objectives for Man Mountain’s Refuge: Mine Refuge
 

Chamber Training Exercise
 

Objectives 

After the completion of the exercise, new miners, experienced miners, trainers, and others who 

must deal with issues of self-rescue and escape will be able to: 

•	 Explain the need to gather as much information as possible as early as possible 

•	 Explain the value of knowing one’s escapeways 

•	 Understand the need to use self-contained self-rescuers (SCSRs) properly 

•	 Discuss the value of a multigas detector in an emergency 

•	 Identify when, and under what circumstances, to enter a refuge alternative 

•	 List several normal psychological and physical responses of individuals in an 

emergency
 

Intended Audiences 

•	 Underground coal miners in annual refresher classes 

•	 Contractor employees 

•	 Trainers 

•	 Responsible persons at mines 

•	 Command center personnel including mine managers 

•	 Manufacturers of mining equipment 

•	 Researchers 

3 
Instructor’s Discussion Notes and Teaching Points 

Use the information presented here and on the answer key (in this guide), your own ideas and 

experience, and those of the trainees in your class to discuss the exercise after it is completed. 

Group discussion can strengthen knowledge and skills, correct errors, and relate the exercise 

content to the experiences of the miners. After they have worked the exercise, miners often enjoy 

discussing the problems from the exercise. They also frequently think of better ways to respond 

to a problem than those listed among the answers. The purpose of the exercise is to help miners 

think about and remember basic knowledge and skills they may someday need to deal with in an 

emergency. This type of discussion can reinforce those concepts and tailor the exercise content 

to the needs of the group you are training. 

The following notes provide the correct answer(s) for each question as well as additional 

information for you to discuss with your class. Read through and think about these notes before 

the class. Do not read the notes to the class members. This would be boring and ineffective. 

Rather, incorporate the ideas you find here with your own ideas and make these points at the 

appropriate times during the discussion of the exercise. The numbers in parentheses ( ) indicate 

the statement answer numbers that are found below each question. 

Question A. The correct statement is 3. One miner should warn the face crew while another 

notifies the mechanics and bull gang members on the section. Then everyone should meet at the 

dinner hole. There are at least 18 miners on the section. They all need to be informed about the 

situation, and everyone needs to meet at the dinner hole to make sure they are all accounted for. 

Notifying the face crew while one miner looks for the foreman (1) is not enough because all 

miners must be told. Going to the dinner hole immediately (2) is not an option because the other 

miners have to be notified. Although the shuttle car operator may be a joker, ignoring his 

message (4) is the wrong thing to do as there could be a serious problem. It is not necessary to 

don SCSRs and start out the return (5). In responding to question A, several points must be 

stressed by the instructor. First, the other miners must be notified of the situation. Second, there 

is no smoke in the section at this time. Third, if there is an emergency, it is dangerous for one 

miner to proceed alone out the alternate escapeway. 

Question B. The correct statements are 8, 9, 10, 11, and 13. Extra SCSRs should be distributed 

immediately to each miner (8) and someone should retrieve the tether rope that can be used as a 

lifeline (9) between miners evacuating on foot and encountering heavy smoke. Power to the 

section needs to be cut (10) and a head count needs to be taken to be sure all miners are 

accounted for (11) once everyone is at the dinner hole. Someone should also start the mantrips 

and bring the outby mantrip closer to the dinner hole (13). 

There is no need to send everyone to the pager phone to find out what’s going on (6) because the 

section foreman is at the phone attempting to find out what is happening. Besides, he could be 

easily distracted and miss hearing important information if all the miners show up at the phone. 

While it is tempting to head for the mantrips immediately (7), miners should make preparations 

before leaving the section. Similarly, some miners may become excited and want to get the 

4 
section foreman immediately and evacuate (12). Prior to leaving, the section foreman must make 

his best attempt to find out the location and nature of the fire. 

Question C. The correct answers are 14 and 16. Miners need to don their SCSRs now before 

getting into the mantrips (14) because someone has smelled smoke. Once the crew starts out of 

the section, the mantrips would have to stop and everyone would have to get out to don their 

SCSRs. It is also important to inform the section foreman that there is smoke coming into the 

section (16). Because he is at the phone, he may not have smelled the smoke yet. 

It is not a good idea to have one of the mantrips start off the section (15). Doing nothing while 

waiting for the section foreman to come back with more information is unwise (17). Someone 

needs to try to find out the location of the fire. The crew has already spent several minutes 

waiting to see what is going on. Anything that can be done to prepare to escape should be done. 

Question D. The correct answer is 19. Because wispy smoke is coming onto the section and 

there is still no word on the nature or location of the fire, you need to tell the section foreman it’s 

time to start out of the section before the smoke gets heavier (19). 

Staying at the phone to wait for more information while the foreman goes back to the mantrips to 

stay with the crew (18) wastes valuable time. While checking the returns and the secondary 

escapeway for smoke (20) might not be a bad idea, it is a poor use of time. Even if these entries 

were clear, the crew would have to walk more than a mile to reach the permanent refuge 

chamber, let alone the mains. While it would be helpful to have more information about the fire, 

it is pointless to return to the mantrips and wait (21). Smoke is already on the section—it is time 

to leave. 

Question E. The correct answer is 22. Because the smoke was heavier at the permanent refuge 

chamber and there was still no new information on the fire, the best option is to have the crews 

get into the permanent refuge chamber and wait for the mine rescue team (22). 

Having the crews move into the secondary escapeway (23) or return (25) to continue escape on 

foot is not a good idea because miners would have to travel almost a mile uphill just to reach the 

mains. Staying on the mantrips and continuing out to the main permanent refuge chamber in 

North Mains or to the outside (24) is also a possibility. But because the smoke is getting heavier 

and there is still a considerable distance to travel, it is best to go to the safety of the permanent 

refuge chamber. 

Question F. The correct answers are 26, 27, 29, and 30. Once the mantrips cannot go any farther 

in the thick smoke and miners begin leaving the mantrips, it is important to get the miners back 

together (26). Because it is wise to go back to the permanent refuge chamber, someone needs to 

check the alternate escapeway for smoke (27). Chances are the smoke is lighter in this entry than 

in the primary escapeway and it would be easier to travel in the entry. All the extra SCSRs (29) 

should be taken along. The tether rope should be used as a link line between miners (30). This 

will help keep everyone together while heading inby to the permanent refuge chamber. 

5 
Bringing up the rear while the boss leads the crew out the primary escapeway (28) is not a good 

option. The crew would have to travel about a mile uphill in heavy smoke just to reach the 

mains. 

Question G. The correct answer is 31. At this point, a difficult choice has to be made. The 

section foreman and several other crew members want to continue escaping by following the 

secondary escapeway out while one miner says he cannot continue escaping uphill on foot. The 

best choice is to have everyone go back to the permanent refuge chamber and wait for the mine 

rescue team. However, each miner can decide whether or not they want to go to the chamber, so 

it is important to ask who is going to the chamber (31). It is important to note that you cannot 

mandate the crew to do what you think is best. Each miner is in a situation of choice, but 

splitting up the crew is often not the best choice. In this case, going to the refuge chamber is the 

safest thing to do because there is fresh air and communications with the outside. 

Taking a vote on whether to go back to the refuge chamber or continue is a poor choice (32). 

This is a waste of time. Staying back to help Sam, the mechanic, while the crew proceeds out on 

foot is not an option (33). Each miner must act based on their best judgment and, hopefully, the 

understanding that going to the permanent refuge chamber is the best course of action. Moving 

the road grader so the mantrip can continue (34) is also not a good choice because the smoke is 

so dense making it difficult to continue travel in the intake. 

Question H. The correct answer is 37. Going to the permanent refuge chamber by grabbing the 

lifeline and using the secondary escapeway is the safest action in this situation. 

Getting back on the mantrip and riding back to the chamber (35) is not practical in the dense 

smoke. Walking back to the chamber through the primary escapeway (36) is not an option 

because the smoke is very dense in the intake and it is lighter in the secondary escapeway. 

Deciding to follow the section foreman out (38) is a wrong choice because the one miner has 

already decided that taking refuge in the permanent refuge chamber is the best option. 

Question I. The correct answers are 39, 40, 41, and 43. Once all the miners are inside the refuge 

chamber, there are several things that must be done. First, call outside to check on the fire, report 

the names of everyone in the chamber, and advise the communications person that the foreman 

and others are coming out on foot (39). You need to know the status of the fire, and personnel 

outside need to know the location of the crew. Miners can take off their SCSRs (40) because they 

are in the safety of the permanent refuge chamber which has positive pressure intake air from the 

surface. The maintenance foreman should occasionally check the air in the chamber for oxygen 

deficiency, methane, and carbon monoxide using a multigas detector (41). Although there is 

fresh air into the chamber, the atmosphere needs to be checked in case of any leakage. Miners 

should be reminded to turn off their cap lamps to conserve battery power (43) because they may 

be needed later. One cap lamp should be enough for the time being. 

While miners are probably hungry and thirsty, they should not open provisions and help 

themselves (42). Food and water must be conserved because it is unknown how long they will be 

in the chamber. 

6 
 

Question J. The correct answers are 46 and 47. Man Mountain needs to stay with everyone in 

the safety of the chamber. He needs to be reminded that he would have to travel a considerable 

distance uphill through smoke just to reach the mains (46). Also, Man Mountain and the rest of 

the miners should be reminded that the section foreman and the other crew members who 

decided to travel on foot have not been heard from and that leaving now would be taking a big 

risk (47). 

Checking the primary and secondary escapeways for smoke and leading the remaining miners 

out (44) would be dangerous because it is still about a mile uphill. If Man Mountain is 

determined to leave, the rest of the miners need to stay in the chamber (45). 

Question K. The correct answers are 49, 51, and 52. It is important to normalize the feelings and 

behaviors of the miners (49). Noting the obvious, that this is a stressful situation for everyone, 

helps put the potential anxious reactions individuals experience into perspective. Mentioning 

some of the normal symptoms that people have in such situations, both emotional and physical, 

can be reassuring. (51). Suggesting everyone take three deep breaths provides a 

physical/behavioral intervention that can divert attention and reduce anxiety, and also increase 

oxygen in their bodies (52). Other suggested interventions might be tensing and relaxing 

different parts of the body (arms, shoulders, etc.) or doing neck rolls. 

Ignoring these behaviors and feelings will not help individuals calm down (48). In fact, ignoring 

them can contribute to their increase. Previous research on human response in emergencies has 

shown that most people do NOT tend to panic in emergency escape. They later report feelings of 

anxiety, but their behavior tends to be rational. Performing CPR on Shorty is not needed because 

he is breathing and talking (50). 

From a psychological perspective, preparation is the key to mitigating negative responses. 

Knowing how normal people react in a stressful situation is an important part of training for 

mine emergencies. 

Question L. While the answers to this question are open-ended, the following points should be 

discussed with the trainees: 

Answer 53. Why should individuals seek refuge in an emergency? The decision to seek 

refuge or not is going to be specific to the given incident. In the scenario presented here: 

(1) you do not know the location of the fire; (2) there is heavy smoke coming in that will 

inhibit your ability to successfully escape; and (3) you have a competent mine rescue 

team member with the crew. Therefore, the decision to go into the chamber is a logical 

choice. 

Answer 54. Distance needs to be considered when making the decision to seek refuge. 

Trainees may need to be reminded that the miners had about 5,000 ft to travel uphill 

through dense smoke just to reach the mains. During this time, they would have had to 

rely on their SCSRs. Although a cache of SCSRs was located at the permanent refuge 

chamber allowing miners to switch to fresh units, the next cache would be located at the 

mouth of the section. Even if the miners are well trained in using their SCSRs, walking 

uphill wearing an apparatus (SCSR) would probably prove difficult for some. 

7 
Answer 55. Going to the permanent refuge chamber will get the miners out of the smoke. 

It will also get them to a location where there is (1) fresh water and food; (2) 

communication with the outside; and (3) a source of fresh air. 

Answer 56. Possible reasons for not seeking refuge: (1) Since the advent of SCSRs, 

miners have been taught to escape. Even with the availability of refuge alternatives, 

including permanent refuge chambers, the miners’ first line of action is to attempt escape. 

Therefore, the common thought today is to escape rather than seek refuge. (2) By 

choosing to go to a refuge alternative, miners can run the risk of conditions going from 

bad to worse. (3) There are psychological considerations as well. Knowing the location of 

the fire or encountering only light smoke would be reasons why one would not seek 

refuge. However, the decision to seek refuge or not will depend on the situation. 

Question M. The correct answers are 58, 59, and 61. After a trauma, individuals frequently 

report having difficulty concentrating and may experience interrupted sleep. This can be a safety 

issue particularly when driving (58). It is not a good idea to make major life decisions soon after 

a trauma (59). Giving yourself time and space will be helpful to feeling better. This may include 

requesting light duty or outside work for awhile. Taking extra care of oneself through adequate 

sleep, good nutrition, and physical activity is important. It does get better. If an individual 

continues to feel anxious or depressed and day-to-day functioning is still a problem three months 

after the incident, it is time to seek a disaster mental health counselor (61). 

8 
Additional Points for Discussion 

Between March 1988 and November 1990, three major fires occurred at underground coal mines 

in the eastern United States. These fires resulted in the permanent closure of two of these mines 

and forced a total of more than 60 m iners, caught inby the fires, to evacuate considerable 

distances through moderate to heavy smoke. NIOSH researchers had the opportunity to interview 

48 of the miners who escaped these fires and talk with them about their experiences. Information 

provided by these individuals revealed that escaping the mine fires posed problems for many of 

them. 

Throughout this exercise, finding out the location and nature of the fire is a critical point that 

must be emphasized with the trainees. The reason is that few of the 48 fire escapees knew the 

location of the fire at their mine. Although someone at each of the three mines knew almost 

immediately where the fire was, only 2 miners took the time to find out the location of the fire. 

Lacking this critical piece of information presented problems for many escapees. For example, 

many miners delayed donning their SCSRs and traveled through smoke without this protection 

because they did not know how far they had to travel and wanted to save their SCSRs in case 

they were needed later. As a result, some two thirds of the miners interviewed said they donned 

their SCSR in smoke, and many reported difficulty donning their units in the smoke. Others 

reported difficulty breathing with the SCSR because they had been traveling on foot before 

putting the device on and were breathing heavily when they donned the unit. One miner said: 

... [the] man that’s in charge needs to take his time and walk out of there slowly and easy 

with his self-rescuer on ... If you go 6, 7, 800 feet before you even try to put one of them 

things on, you’re winded. [Then], it’s like trying to suck through a straw. 

In hindsight, a number of miners said that, in the future, they would don their apparatus before 

boarding the mantrip and leaving the section. Discuss with the class the importance of donning 

SCSRs before boarding the mantrip. 

Similarly, lack of information on the location of a fire influenced miners’ escape strategies. One 

miner said of his crew when they were discussing strategy: 

We were going to try ... getting to Peterson [air shaft], but we didn’t know exactly where 

the fire was. We thought that the fire was at 3 Left, Number 2 [belt] transfer ... So that 

was our idea ... I wished we knew where the fire was for one thing. It’s like you’re going 

into the unknown; you don’t know exactly where you’re going. 

At least four groups of escapees attempted to ride out of the mine on mantrips or other vehicles. 

One crew traveled about half a mile before the smoke became too thick and the crew had to 

continue traveling on foot. After leaving their mantrips, though, nearly all miners encountered 

some level of difficulty once they entered their escapeways. Discuss with miners the pros and 

cons of traveling as far as possible on the mantrip before having to stop due to heavy smoke or 

other problems. 

Miners must be aware of the fact that smoke was the greatest physical problem with which 

escapees had to cope. Escapees said that visibility ranged from less than 2 ft in the primary 

escapeways and in the track and belt entries to as much as 60 ft in the return air courses (some of 

9 
which were designated as secondary escapeways). Some miners did not expect the smoke that 

they encountered to be as thick as it was: 

I didn’t expect it to be that thick ... they show you movies that you can get down ... and 

crawl out, but I don’t think you could do that ... 

Miners characterized the smoke in different ways by color and thickness. In an area where the 

smoke was lighter, a worker described it as having a bluish-gray color and was “like ... more just 

like a filtering smoke.” Other miners encountered thick, heavy smoke. A utility man said “You 

couldn’t see ... it was just like ... like riding in behind a bulk duster for rock dusting.” Another 

miner said: 

The stopping was probably on the other side of the props, but I couldn’t see it. I couldn’t 

even see the door, that’s how thick it was. I put my hands out ... and couldn’t see the end 

of my fingers. 

In health and safety training, miners are taught to follow the primary or secondary escapeways 

out of the mine to safety. For ease of navigation, mines mark these entries using different colored 

reflectors or signs. Escapees said it was hard if not impossible to see the escapeway markings 

because of the thick smoke. Therefore, it was easy for miners to become disoriented and lost 

during their escape. A former mine rescue team member recounted the effect the thick smoke 

had on him even with his experience: 

... I thought we were walking right into the fire ... I started to get a little upset, a little 

tight ... And in our returns [secondary escapeways] we have reflectors ... And it’s a good 

idea if there’s no smoke ... [but if] you fall down and you get up and you get turned 

around, you know, if somebody doesn’t know where you’re going, you could be crawling 

around down there. 

Some miners became confused and disoriented in the smoke during their escape. Although he 

followed the belt line from the section, one miner recounts his experience as he made his way 

from the belt to the track: 

... as soon as I found the crosscut, I went in because I didn’t want to miss it and I went to 

the end of the crosscut and run into a permanent stopping. Well, I started looking for the 

(man)door and it seemed like I was lost. I wasn’t lost but it seemed like I was lost 

because I got sort of that feeling, well, I know that door is here but I just couldn’t find it... 

A mechanic, who followed the same belt line said: 

I didn’t [seem to] know my way out of there. I lost all orientation [on] how to get out of 

there. I knew my way out, but I forgot. 

10 
One crew of miners became so disoriented in the smoke during their escape that they actually 

started back into the section. The section foreman recalled: 

... they said they couldn’t make it over those overcasts; there was too much smoke. So, 

we started back because I noticed a 3 x 3 [man]door in the return. So, I wanted to get 

back into the intake. Well, I couldn’t find that 3 x 3 [man]door and I knew I didn’t want 

to start running around in circles. ... we started up over an overcast in the return and in the 

... sidewall ... there was a 3 x 3 door ... everybody went [through the door] out into the 

intake escapeway ... We started walking ... but something didn’t look right to me ... 

[A]round vacation they had dug a sump and you had a path; as you come out your intake 

escapeway, the slate’s on your left side and the path’s on your right ... I’m walking along 

and I started thinking something’s wrong because that ... slate should be on my left, not 

on my right. 

Realizing the crew was headed back to the section, the section boss decided to go back into the 

return. He then led the crew to another overcast, opened a door, felt air on his face, and was able 

to determine which way the group should go from there. 

Finally, at least one miner interviewed became physically exhausted during his escape. The 

miner, a CM operator who was over 6 feet tall and weighed more than 250 lb, was traveling with 

his crew as they followed the belt line off their section. The entry was 44 to 48 in high with a 

clearance of some 3 ft between the belt and rib. The crew traveled some 600 ft before 

encountering smoke and donning their SCSRs. They then traveled several hundred ft more when 

the miner began having trouble breathing. The foreman split the crew and allowed faster miners 

to continue while he and several other miners stayed with their buddy. In the end, the foreman 

and the others had to leave the CM operator behind and continued on outby the fire. The CM 

operator was later rescued and survived the ordeal. Have trainees discuss their thoughts about 

leaving a disabled miner behind. 

While there was the potential for disaster with each one of the three mine fires, all miners 

escaped successfully and no lives were lost. At best, miners’ escapes from the fires were difficult 

with some crews having to travel nearly two miles on foot to reach safety outby the fire areas. In 

addition, none of the eight crews had to travel up steep inclines during their escapes as the coal 

seams at all three mines were fairly level. 

Since the enactment of the 2006 MINER Act, mines are required to have lifelines with 

directional cones installed in both primary and secondary escapeways. These lifelines are 

designed for miners to grab onto and use as a guide to find their way out. But the lifeline may be 

broken, or escaping miners may decide to follow another route other than a designated 

escapeway; discuss with trainees how they might deal with these situations when navigating in 

heavy smoke. 

11 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Answer Key for Man Mountain’s Refuge Exercise1 

1 This page may be duplicated and distributed to trainees for reference. 

12 

The correct answers are marked with an asterisk. 

Question Answer Number 

A 1 2 3* 4 5 

B 6 7 8* 9* 10* 11* 12 13* 

C 14* 15 16* 17 

D 18 19* 20 21 

E 22* 23 24 25 

F 26* 27* 28 29* 30* 

G 31* 32 33 34 

H 35 36 37* 38 

I 39* 40* 41* 42 43* 

J 44 45 46* 47* 

K 48 49* 50 51* 52* 

L Open ended questions – not scored 

M 57 58* 59* 60 61* 
References
 

Brnich MJ, Vaught C, Mallett L [1992]. SCSR proficiency requires hands-on practice. COAL 

97(7):52–54. 

Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006 (MINER Act), Pub. L. No. 108­

236 (S 2803) (June 15, 2006). 

NIOSH [2007]. Research report on refuge alternatives for underground coal mines. U.S. 

Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Office of Mine Safety and Health. 16 pp. 

Available at: 

[http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/mineract/pdfs/Report_on_Refuge_Alternatives_Research_12­

07.pdf]. Date accessed: November 2010. 

NIOSH [2000]. Behavioral and organizational dimensions of underground mine fires. By Vaught 

C, Brnich MJ, Mallett LG, Cole HP, Wiehagen WJ, Conti RS, Kowalski KM, Litton CD. 

Pittsburgh, PA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) 

Publication No. 2000–126, IC 9450. 

NIOSH [2009]. Harry’s hard choices: mine refuge chamber training, instructors guide. By 

Vaught C, Hall E, Klein K. Pittsburgh, PA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and 

Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2009–122, IC 9511. 

71 Fed. Reg. 71429 [2006]. Mine Safety and Health Administration, 30 CFR parts 3, 48, 50, 75: 

emergency mine evacuation; final rule. 

13 
Trainee’s Problem Book 

(with instructions for exercise completion) 

This is a story about an underground continuous miner (CM) section crew and additional general 

laborers who must decide what to do when they learn there is a fire somewhere in the mine but 

do not know the exact location. As time goes by, the miners face a series of choices about how 

best to increase their chances for survival. This story is taken in part from real-life incidents. 

Instructions 

Form a group with several of your coworkers. Then, read the story and the questions about the 

story that follow. Each question is followed by a series of statements relating to the question. 

Read each statement and decide whether or not you agree with the statement; then, discuss the 

statement with the group, decide on a group answer, and circle either YES or NO for each 

statement. 

Once you have finished the story, look at a copy of the answer key, provided by your instructor. 

Compare your answers to the answer key, but do not change any of your answers. Discuss the 

story and answers with the class and your instructor. 

14 
Training Exercise 

The Mining Story (Scenario) 

You are a mechanic on the 9 Right CM section at Kathleen Mine. You are a member of the mine 

rescue team. 

On this day, there are a total of 19 miners, including yourself, working on your section. These 

include the 11 regular production crew members, 4 mechanics and 1 maintenance foreman, plus 

3 labor miners, including “Man Mountain” Jenkins, from the general labor crew. The rest of the 

labor crew is outby doing roadwork. 

This is a five-entry section that has been driven 10,000 ft from the mains. 

The coal seam is pitching and roughly 84 in thick on this section. 

The 72-in belt is located in the No. 3 entry. The belt is ventilated by a separate split of intake air 

that travels inby and is dumped into the return through a pipe regulator just outby the tailpiece. 

Everyone is wearing one-hour SCSRs on their belts. There are 12 SCSRs and a tether rope stored 

on the section. Two mantrips on the section each have 12 SCSRs and additional units are stored 

outby in caches located 30 minutes apart (or about 5,000 ft) between the primary and secondary 

escapeways. 

The primary escapeway is in the No. 4 intake entry; the secondary escapeway is in the No. 3 belt 

entry. Both escapeways are equipped with lifelines. 

A portable refuge chamber is located on the section at the No. 96 crosscut, outby the faces 

between entries No. 4 and No. 5 (see Figure 1). A permanent refuge chamber is located along 9 

Right at the No. 50 crosscut between the primary and secondary escapeways, entries No. 3 and 

No. 4, (see Figure 2). Another permanent refuge chamber is located in North Mains between 9 

Right and 10 Right. 

The permanent refuge chambers have a borehole to the surface with downhole ventilation, pager 

phone, telephone communication to the outside, food, water, first-aid supplies, and toilet 

facilities. 

Both the maintenance foreman and section foreman have multigas detectors. The mine uses 

rubber-tired, mobile diesel equipment for moving supplies and personnel. 

The mine has wireless communication. The section and maintenance foremen both have portable 

two-way radios. Mine pager phones are located at the belt tailpiece, at each belt transfer, and at 

each portable refuge chamber or permanent refuge chamber. 

Mandoors are located at approximately every five crosscuts. 

Pillars are on 100-ft centers. 

Now turn to the problem statement on the next page. 

15 
Problem 

You are in the No. 4 entry working on the bolter. The shuttle car operator, who's been joking 

with you all shift, comes up from the feeder and tells you there's a fire on a piece of equipment 

somewhere in the North Mains. He says, “I’m going back to the phone!" 

Look at Figures 1 and 2. 

Then go to Question A and begin.
 

Work on one question at a time.
 

Do not jump ahead to any other questions, but you can look back at previous questions anytime.
 
 

16 
Figure 1. 9 Right section map –face 

17
 
Figure 2. 9 Right section map – outby

18
 
Questions Pertaining to the Exercise 

Question A 

The shuttle car operator heads back to the tailpiece. Your buddy, who has been helping you on 

the bolter, asks, "What do you think we oughta do?" You reply, "I think we'd better start 

moving!" What should you do? 

1.	 YES NO Ask your buddy to notify the face crew to gather at the dinner hole while 

you go look for the section foreman. 

2. YES NO	 Tell your buddy that you should go immediately to the dinner hole. 

3.	 YES NO Ask your buddy to notify the face crew while you get the other mechanics 

and the labor crew workers. Tell him you'll meet in the dinner hole. 

4. YES NO	 Ignore the shuttle car operator and finish up what you're doing. 

5. YES NO	 Put on your SCSR and proceed directly out the return. 

When you have responded to all the statements above, go to the next page. 

19 
Question B 

Your buddy has gone to the face and alerted the CM crew. You have notified the other 

mechanics and gathered the labor crew workers, leading them back to the dinner hole. You see 

the shuttle car operator and he tells you the section foreman is now on the phone. He also tells 

you that the superintendent has come in to check things out, but they still have not pinned down 

the source of the fire. Everyone is now in the dinner hole except the section foreman. What can 

you do to help at this point? 

6.	 YES NO Tell everyone to walk down to the phone and try to find out what is going 

on. 

7. YES NO	 Tell everyone to go get on the mantrips immediately. 

8.	 YES NO Go to the SCSR cache on the section, gather the SCSRs, and distribute 

them. 

9. YES NO	 Ask someone to bring the tether rope from the SCSR cache. 

10. YES NO	 Verify the section power has been cut. 

11. YES NO	 Do a head count. 

12. YES NO	 Go get the section foreman now. Everyone is waiting! 

13.	 YES NO Send someone down to warm up the mantrips, and bring the outby mantrip 

closer to the dinner hole. 

When you have responded to all the statements above, go to the next page. 

20 
Question C 

Several minutes have passed while the section foreman has been trying to get more information 

about the fire’s location. You begin to smell smoke. You look for the foreman's light and see he 

has not started back to the dinner hole yet. What should you do now? 

14. YES NO	 Tell everyone to don their SCSRs now and get on the mantrips. 

15.	 YES NO Tell one of the shuttle car operators to take one of the mantrips and start 

out of the section. 

16. YES NO	 Go get the foreman and tell him that smoke is coming into the section. 

17.	 YES NO Do nothing until the section foreman comes back to the dinner hole with 

more information. 

When you have responded to all the statements above, go to the next page. 

21 
Question D 

You tell everyone to don their SCSRs and go to the mantrips. In the meantime, you don your 

SCSR and go to find the section foreman. You find him at the phone and show him a note pad on 

which you have written “Smoke Coming.” The foreman tells you that he talked to the 

communications person, but has not been able to find out any more information. What should 

you do now? 

18.	 YES NO Stay at the phone to try to get more information while the foreman heads 

back to the mantrips to stay with the crew. 

19.	 YES NO Gesture to the foreman to don his SCSR and that you need to start out of 

the section before the smoke gets any heavier. 

20.	 YES NO Signal to the foreman that you are going to check the returns and 

secondary escapeway for smoke. 

21.	 YES NO Go back to the mantrips and signal the crews that you are waiting to get 

more information on the fire before leaving the section. 

When you have responded to all the statements above, go to the next page. 

22 
Question E 

The section foreman agrees that you should leave the section. Just before donning his SCSR, he 

calls outside to advise that the crews are starting out of the section on the mantrips in the primary 

escapeway. The foreman also tells the communications person he will also stop at the permanent 

refuge chamber and call out to check on the fire. You travel with the others outby and reach the 

permanent chamber at No. 50 crosscut where you meet two outby laborers. The foreman goes 

into the chamber and calls out to check on the fire, but does not get any new information. The 

smoke is heavier than when you left the section. What should you do now? 

22.	 YES NO Suggest to the foreman that everyone should get into the permanent 

chamber and wait for the arrival of the mine rescue team. 

23.	 YES NO Suggest that the crews move into the secondary escapeway and continue 

escape on foot because there may be little or no smoke, and they can 

follow the belt line. 

24.	 YES NO Stay on the mantrips and try to make it to the main permanent refuge 

chamber in North Mains or to the outside. 

25. YES NO	 Suggest that the crews move into the return and continue escape. 

When you have responded to all the statements above, go to the next page. 

23 
Question F 

Although you suggest that the crew take refuge in the permanent refuge chamber, the miners are 

determined about getting out. In addition, the section foreman feels you should continue outby 

because the smoke is not heavy and the visibility is about 40 ft. He waves his finger for you to 

accompany them. You think about it and decide that, rather than split the crew, you will continue 

outby knowing you can always come back. You and the others travel another 1,200 ft in the 

mantrip when suddenly you hit heavy, thick smoke. The visibility is less than 10 ft. The mantrip 

operator slows down and proceeds cautiously but is bouncing off the ribs because of poor 

visibility. After traveling a short distance, your mantrip rams an abandoned road grader. At this 

point, miners begin exiting the mantrips and start to scatter. What should you do now? 

26.	 YES NO Help the foreman gather miners back together. Make sure all miners have 

their SCSRs on. Then gesture to everyone that it's time to head back inby 

to the permanent chamber at No. 50 crosscut. 

27. YES NO	 Find the nearest door and check the secondary escapeway. 

28.	 YES NO Offering to bring up the rear, signal the boss to lead the crew out the 

primary escapeway. 

29. YES NO	 Gather up the extra SCSRs from the mantrips. 

30. YES NO	 Take the tether rope you brought to use as a linkline between miners. 

When you have responded to all the statements above, go to the next page. 

24 
Question G 

The section foreman checks for smoke in the secondary escapeway and the carbon monoxide 

(CO) level; the CO level is 45 ppm. He yells back that the smoke is lighter, and the visibility is 

about 50 ft. Even though it’s more than a mile uphill to the main and two miles to the portal, the 

section foreman puts his SCSR back on and gestures to follow him out the secondary escapeway. 

Everyone grabs an extra SCSR. Several miners start to go with the foreman. Sam, a mechanic 

who is overweight and out of shape, takes his SCSR off and says, "I'm already outta breath and 

we ain't even started to walk. I know I can't make it if I have to walk more than a mile uphill to 

get out!" What should you do? 

31.	 YES NO Signal everyone that you are taking Sam and going to the permanent 

refuge chamber and wait for the mine rescue team to get the fire under 

control and to come to get you out. Ask who is going with you. 

32.	 YES NO You don't want to split the crew, so you ask the section foreman to put the 

question to a vote. 

33.	 YES NO Gesture to Sam that you will stay back and help him as the crew proceeds 

out on foot. 

34.	 YES NO Suggest that someone move the road grader out of the way so you can 

continue outby on the mantrip. 

When you have responded to all the statements above, go to the next page. 

25 
Question H 

The section foreman, another mechanic, three labor crew workers, and eight miners from the 

production crew decide to head out the secondary escapeway. One of the remaining miners with 

you shrugs his shoulders as if saying, "What now?" What should you do? 

35.	 YES NO Signal the miners remaining to get back on the inby mantrip with you and 

ride back to the permanent chamber. 

36.	 YES NO Indicate to everyone that you are going to walk downhill back to the 

permanent refuge chamber through the primary escapeway with the smoke 

at your back. 

37.	 YES NO Signal everyone that you are going to walk back down to the permanent 

chamber. Motion for them to keep their SCSRs on, grab the tether rope, 

link together, and follow you into the secondary escapeway where the 

smoke is lighter. 

38.	 YES NO After having second thoughts, wave to everyone that you have changed 

your mind and have decided to follow the section foreman. 

When you have responded to all the statements above, go to the next page. 

26 
Question I 

The remaining miners, including the maintenance foreman, choose to go with you to the 

permanent refuge chamber. With everyone linked to the tether rope, you proceed down the 

secondary escapeway to the permanent refuge chamber. As you had thought, the smoke is lighter 

in this entry. When you reach the permanent refuge chamber, you motion for the miners to enter 

it one person at a time through the 3-ft entrance tube. As the last person to go in, though, you 

notice that the smoke in the secondary escapeway is becoming heavier. Now you and the crew 

are in the permanent refuge chamber room. What should you do now? 

39.	 YES NO Call outside to check on the fire, report who is with you in the permanent 

chamber, and advise the communications person that the section foreman 

is coming out the secondary escapeway with the rest of the crew. 

40. YES NO	 Tell the miners to take off their SCSRs and relax. 

41.	 YES NO Ask the maintenance foreman to use his multigas detector and periodically 

check the atmosphere in the chamber for oxygen deficiency, carbon 

monoxide, and methane. 

42.	 YES NO Tell miners that, if they are hungry or thirsty they can open the food and 

water provisions and help themselves. 

43. YES NO	 Tell all but one miner to turn off their cap lights to conserve the batteries. 

When you have responded to all the statements above, go to the next page. 

27 
Question J 

You call outside to tell the communications person you are in the chamber with the other miners 

and you give their names. You learn from the communications person that a power center in the 

North Mains was on fire, but that the fire is under control and should be extinguished shortly. 

You are also told that it may be three to four hours before the smoke clears and the rescue team 

reaches your location. You are also told that no one has heard from the 9 Left foreman or other 

crew members. You then convey this information to the miners with you in the chamber. 

Hearing this, Man Mountain, one of the labor crew members, says: "I ain't stayin' in this hole no 

three or four hours!! If the fire's out, I'm leaving!!" What should you do now? 

44.	 YES NO Put your SCSR back on, go out of the chamber, and check both the 

secondary and primary escapeways for smoke. If the smoke is clearing, 

lead Man Mountain and the rest of the crew out. 

45.	 YES NO Tell Man Mountain to go ahead and leave, but that you are staying in the 

chamber. 

46.	 YES NO Tell Man Mountain that he would have to travel through smoke nearly a 

mile uphill just to reach the mains. 

47.	 YES NO Remind Man Mountain that the section foreman and the rest of the crew, 

who decided to travel out the secondary escapeway, have not been heard 

from and that he's taking a big risk by leaving. 

When you have responded to all the statements above, go to the next page. 

28 
Question K 

You notice Man Mountain is sweating heavily and is visibly agitated. His buddy, Shorty, is 

watching Man Mountain’s behavior and looks scared. Shorty seems to be short of breath and 

says he thinks he is having a heart attack. The rest of the crew is very quiet. What should you do? 

48. YES NO	 Ignore them, figuring they will calm down. 

49.	 YES NO Mention to everyone that this is a stressful situation and that some 

symptoms of stress are expected. 

50. YES NO	 Begin CPR on Shorty. 

51.	 YES NO Tell everyone it is normal to be upset in a situation like this and most 

people react physically and emotionally like sweating a lot, getting an 

upset stomach, experiencing an increased heart rate, and feeling scared, 

angry, or quiet. 

52.	 YES NO Suggest everyone take three deep breaths to increase oxygen in their 

bodies and decrease the adrenalin. 

When you have responded to all the statements above, go to the next page. 

29 
30 

Question L 

After thinking about what you told him, Man Mountain decides to stay in the permanent refuge 

chamber with you. Shorty calms down and says he feels better. After about three hours, you hear 

the outside door of the entrance tube open. In a minute, the inner door opens and a mine rescue 

team captain enters. He tells you that the fire is out, the smoke has cleared, and that mantrips are 

waiting to take you and the others outside. Someone asks if the other crew members are out yet. 

The rescue captain informs you that the others did not fare as well. He says two of the miners 

were overcome by CO near the mouth of 9 Right and are on their way to the hospital. He also 

tells you three others got separated from the group and a search for them is underway. 

53.	 Do you feel you made the correct decision by seeking refuge in the permanent refuge 

chamber? Why or Why not? Please write your answers below. 

54.	 When the crews split up and some members decided to escape on foot, what could have 

been done to persuade the other miners to go to the permanent refuge chamber? Please 

write your answers below. 

55. What are the positive aspects of seeking refuge? Please write your answers below. 

56. What are the negative aspects of seeking refuge? Please write your answers below. 

When you have responded to all the statements above, go to the next page. 
Question M 

The three miners who were separated from the group who tried to escape were found dead by the 

mine rescue teams. Two of the miners were 100 ft from an SCSR cache along the escapeway. 

The third miner was found behind a barricade he erected out of some brattice cloth. The event is 

over, but you are having trouble sleeping, and find yourself eating more and drinking more 

alcohol than usual. You feel depressed and your wife has noticed you are having difficulty 

concentrating and making decisions, even about the most trivial things. She is worried about you. 

You have become concerned about your safety and those of your crew when going back 

underground. What should you do? 

57. YES NO	 Do nothing; time will heal. 

58.	 YES NO Be especially careful when driving. Pay attention to the conditions and 

where you are going. 

59. YES NO	 Request outside work at the mine for awhile. 

60. YES NO	 Quit your job. 

61.	 YES NO If you continue to feel depressed and anxious or are having nightmares, 

seek counseling from a disaster mental health professional. 

End of Problem 

31 
 

 

 

 

 

Finding Your Score 

1. Count the total number of responses you circled that were marked "YES". 

Write this number in the box to the right. 

2. 

Count the total number of incorrect responses you circled. 

Subtract this number from 29 and write the difference in the box to the 

right. 

3. Add the numbers on lines 1 and 2. Write that number in the box to the right. 

This is your score on the exercise. 

The best score is 57. The worst score is 0. 

32 
Delivering on the Nation’s promise:

safety and health at work for all people

through research and prevention

To receive NIOSH documents or more information about

occupational safety and health topics, contact NIOSH at

1–800–CDC–INFO (1–800–232–4636)

TTY: 1–888–232–6348

e-mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov

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

For a monthly update on news at NIOSH, subscribe to

NIOSH eNews by visiting www.cdc.gov/niosh/eNews. 

DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2011-195 

SAFER • HEALTHIER • PEOPLETM