Investigation of a coal-mine explosion and relevance of risk assessment

An explosion in the Middelbult coal mine at Secunda, Mpumalanga (previously Eastern Transvaal), owned by the South African Synthetic Oil Company (Sasol), caused the death of 53 mineworkers on 13 May, 1993. An international team was formed to investigate the locus and possible contribution of coal dust, to provide an opinion on the causes of the explosion and to make recommendations as to how a recurrence may be avoided. The methods adopted in the investigation tin particular, by the team member from the United Kingdom) are described, together with the conclusions reached by the team as the first part of their remit; detailed conclusions on the development of the explosion, from an ignition of a small volume of methane to a major coal-dust explosion, which the United Kingdom investigator provided for the Secunda court, are recorded. The way in which risk assessment might have contributed to avoiding the explosion is explored. The formal legal procedures followed in South Africa for the conduct by a magistrate of a joint inquest-inquiry, as prescribed by Section 28(6) of the Minerals Act 1991, are reviewed and the conclusions are summarized.