Occupational health and safety in coal preparation facilities

Coal is generally used as a fuel for heating purposes in iron and steel factories, thermal power plants, foundry industries and homes. In order for coal to be extracted from ore beds in a run-of-mine form and offered for use and to have the characteristics demanded by the sector in which it will be used, it must be separated from its waste and its calorific value must be increased. The processes of separating coal from waste and enriching it are carried out according to the physical and physicochemical properties of the coal itself and the other ores and wastes it contains. In order for run-of-mine coal to be used in industry, it is important to purify it from impurities and increase its calorific value. The process of removing impurities contained in coal by various methods is carried out in coal washing facilities. In coal preparation facilities, coal with the characteristics required by the market is subjected to washing, screening and separation processes, brought to certain sizes and calorific values and offered to the market. This study aims to determine the hazards and risks that may cause occupational accidents in coal preparation facilities and to determine the precautions that can be taken against these hazards and risks. In the study, coal preparation facilities in Zonguldak province were examined and evaluated in terms of occupational health and safety (OHS). Hazards and risks were determined by considering the provisions of the legislation made in accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety Law No. 6331 in the workplace. In order to reduce the determined risks to an acceptable risk level, the precautions and arrangements that could be taken in line with today's technological and scientific data were evaluated. It was observed that in coal washing facilities where serious occupational accidents are likely to occur, in addition to technical measures, administrative arrangements are also needed to minimize accidents caused by human behavior. In addition, necessary arrangements should be made in the legislation and coal preparation facilities should be included in the scope of these arrangements. In addition, the physical structures of the workplaces should be reviewed and necessary improvements should be made.