In previous posts I have spoken about how New Zealand is not ready for the Rugby World cup & the current incident with the Mine explosion has just emphasized it.
As I have said before if confronted by a suicide bomber NZ would hold about four investigations to determine whether it was a suicide bombing when in reality they had 30 seconds to respond.
Now standard operating procedures can work for you or against you & in New Zealand at present it seems we have forgotten the so called number 8 wire mentality that made us world leaders.
Right from its inception this mine has shown some flaws in the NZ processes.
First is the application of Health & Safety. Previously someone questioned my ability to comment on Health & Safety even asking what method I use.
As I said at the time I use what I learnt in the military which is plan for worst case scenario then ask So What? for every possible action.
This process worked in Iraq as it becomes second nature & you are doing it on the move, just like you do in the military. It allows dynamic thinking on your feet. It means you learn from all experiences even those of others.
The problem with the NZ legislation is it leaves too much latitude for businesses to short cut. Not that the mine has done this but first question is why did the gas sensing equipment have to be flown from Australia?
The Security Risk Assessment Handbook: A Complete Guide for Performing Security Risk Assessments
Now it is known that coal releases gas & this area is an area of previous mine explosions. It runs into the same seam of the worst mine disaster in NZ history, the Brunner mine explosion of 1896. It is also a short distance from where a relation lost a close family member in the 1968 Strongman mine incident(they also managed to be in Inangahua for the earthquake that year), so though a lot of precautions were taken there was still a lack of the vital monitoring equipment in the area.
The Essentials of Risk Management
There has also been comments by experts that the explosion doesn't look good. The fact two people walked out & said at the time three more were at that time expected to follow means there is a good chance many if not all survived.
How many of the experts have actually been near a large gas explosion?
Well I have when a 'suicide' bomber had their vehicle detonated on them at the embassy near our villa in Baghdad. It wasn't no ordinary suicide bomb, this was a butane(gas) tanker. Though our villa was within 100 metres we suffered no damage nor did the embassy from what we could see. Blast walls protected us, the explosive force did knock down three local houses & that was where most of the deaths occurred(10 all up with 7 from one family). Most of the police & the driver of the 'suicide' bomb actually survived although badly burnt & were actually the closest to the blast.
Information so far points to fact explosion appears to have happened near the opening of the mine, so it is again likely those in the mine are just sitting tight in oxygen rich areas that are present in modern mines. How the blast went within the confines of the mine is the big question, but the fact that those that got out were from an area behind the blast through an emergency escape tunnel says the effects are likely to be limited depending on subsequent gas build up.
Standard Operating Procedure
But again it is the procedures that have been the biggest worry both post the Christchurch Earthquake & during the current mine incident.
Now procedures are great for training to give the mind something to focus on when confronted by a situation. But they don't fit every situation.
Today there was talk of waiting for the scientific evidence to stack up before they send in the mine rescue team. But there is no monitoring of the gas levels overnight. The earlier someone could get in after the blast the better as gas will build if there is no extraction.
Standard Operating Procedures and Guidelines
Personally I would of had the army over ASAP especially once they realized the weather was closing in with light drizzle(for those not aware light drizzle on the West Coast is heavy downpours everywhere else)& would prevent helicopters dropping the equipment as planned. Why? Because a section of infantry at each monitored shaft as outlined means you can continue to monitor 24 hours a day with good communication & they can be self sustaining for a prolonged period by deploying with their own supplies.
The second thing I would of done is let the West Coasters come up with a No 8 wire solution for going in ASAP with a homespun portable extraction system for the gas.
Good Clinical Practice: Standard Operating Procedures for Clinical Researchers
Now that may seem fool hardy & people will say we need to do it scientifically & controlled.
But the frustration is building.
My Whanau(family) come from South Westland(Southern part of what is referred to as the West Coast) & most things are sorted out locally as they just don't have the time or often communications to wait for the outside world(there are around the area of where we are based no cell phone communications & only satellite internet). Though I have only lived there for short periods one thing I know is West Coasters will only put up with the frustration for so long before they take matters into their own hands.
Financial Reckoning Day Fallout: Surviving Today's Global Depression
All these books might have good tidbits in them but we have to get back to doing things the New Zealand way which was take a bit from each & come up with our own common sense solution. These days we seem to care more about what corrupt bureaucrats say as to the best practice(as soon as I hear that word I know it isn't) than actually taking notice of what people want or are thinking.
Follow procedures yes but not just for the sake of following them. It has to make sense & bugger the science.
http://foxhoundsecurity.co.nz
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment