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Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) in Coal Mines: A Comparative Analysis of Hazards, Impacts, and Prevention Strategies

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Author Affiliations

  • 1Institute of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (IESE), School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (SCEE), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Sector H-12, Islamabad, Pakistan
  • 2Institute of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (IESE), School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (SCEE), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Sector H-12, Islamabad, Pakistan

Int. Res. J. Environment Sci., Volume 14, Issue (2), Pages 29-36, April,22 (2025)

Abstract

Globalization refers to industrialization which improves with the increase of occupational health and safety measures. Due to complex working environment mining is considered as the most hazardous occupation not only in Pakistan but all over the world. Of all the types of mining, coal mining is considered as the most dangerous kind of occupation because coal miners are always at high risk of developing various diseases. This paper reviewed the different previous studies which were conducted in coal mines of different countries including Pakistan, China, Turkey and India. The study aims to identify the fatalities and injuries occurs due to coal mining activities and identified their causes by using different statistical models, survey reports, site visits and different mathematical calculations. It can be concluded from the study that gas burst and dust explosion are main causes of deaths of coal miners in China while underground fire explosion is the main threat for Turkey’s coal miners. Similarly, for India and Pakistan studies revealed that the various faults in machinery, non-implementation of laws, roof fall, inhalation of toxic gases and dust, lack of training, lack of proper decision-making power move the miners towards death or injury. Various precautionary measures should be taken to avoid the risk of hazards.

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