‘Methane gas, lack of supervision reasons behind Bartın mine blast’

The presence of methane gas and lack of adequate supervision were some of the reasons behind the unfortunate mine blast in which 42 workers lost their lives in the northern province of Bartın's Amasra district, says a report by the parliamentary commission established to investigate the incident.

The 366-page report stated that the most important reason behind the accident was the presence of methane gas that created an atmosphere prone to explosions and the failure to manage the explosion-triggering factors.

According to the report, the fact that the explosive excavation activities carried out during production and preparation did not comply with the mining legislation and the lack of adequate supervision put the workers' safety at risk.

Only one operator was working in the central gas monitoring room due to a lack of personnel at the time of the accident, and as the gas monitoring system was not integrated with the alarm system, the underground communication network became weak, causing disruptions in information flow.

The report also made recommendations to prevent such accidents from happening again.

The report suggested that the mining legislation should be reviewed and that separate legislation should be prepared for coal mining.

In order to establish an occupational health and safety management system in mines, an independent mining safety institution with international standards should be established nationwide to bring all mining activities under a single organization, the report stressed.

The personal rights of occupational safety experts should be reorganized in a way that does not make them financially dependent on the employers they supervise, it added.