The Methodology of Assessment of Mine Rescue Teams by Fatigue Criterion

All mining companies engaged in underground mining of natural resources are considered extremely hazardous facilities. In an emergency, auxiliary mine rescue services comprised of auxiliary mine rescue teams are established in companies to manage rescue operations and localize accidents at their initial stage. The capability of auxiliary mine rescue team members to respond promptly to emergencies outlines the potential scale of the accident and its consequences. The team, which is comprised of employees, may be obliged to participate in preventive events aiming to increase reliability in conditions of daily activities and during liquidations of accidents. The method to determine the operability of personnel of mine rescue teams based on fatigue and overwork criteria, which are among the most reliable signs to determine the overall functional state of an organism, has been considered. Using the methodology of differential diagnostics of performance impairment, the subjective state of the psycho-emotional sphere is estimated. The obtained results can serve as a reliable ground to select personnel for the auxiliary mine rescue team members. This express test conducted during the medical examination before the shift allows for the preventive detection of early subjective signs of fatigue that increase the risk of violation of professional activities, especially in complicated and extreme conditions of mining. Increasing personnel’s reliability in conditions of mining reduces the risks of violations in the industrial safety and occupational health management system. The professional competence of employees is equal to the credibility of the company’s activities and the ability to comply with the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles; therefore, the introduction of threshold requirements for additional competencies in ethics, safety, environment, and maintaining financial viability is possible in the future.