# Research, Technological Innovations and Human Factors for Effective Miner Self-Escape from Underground Mine Emergencies

> **NIH ALLCDC U60** · MISSOURI UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY · 2024 · $500,545

## Abstract

RESEARCH PLAN – ABSTRACT
This proposal will advance research, technological and other interventions, and training programs
to empower miners for safe self-escape in mine emergencies. It will 1) advance research in
underground wireless communication; 2) study human-robot interactions for safe miner self-
escape; 3) study critical ingress/egress mechanisms for refuge alternatives subjected to explosions;
4) evaluate the risks of lithium-ion battery electric vehicle fires; and 5) use a “train the trainer”
model to train mine safety personnel. To accomplish the research goal, this effort will focus on
five (5) integrated areas: (i) New Wireless Communication; (ii) Self-Escape and Human Factors;
(iii) Mine Explosions and Refuge Alternatives; (iv) Emergency Response to Battery Electric
Vehicle Fires; and (v) Explosions on Self-Escape Strategies. The areas are a strategic fit for CDC-
NIOSH PAR-21-165. The program will be carried out under the MERIT (Mine Escape, Research,
Innovations and Technology) Center at Missouri University of Science and Technology (S&T)
with collaborations from University of Kentucky (UK), industry and NIOSH.
This research is a collaborative, multi-university, and multi-disciplinary effort engineering and
science disciplines. The PD and six (6) PIs hold full-time academic positions in mining and
explosives engineering at S&T. S&T offers an ABET-accredited mining engineering program. It
also offers Master of Engineering (M.E.), Master of Science (M.S.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
and Doctor of Engineering (D.E.) in mining engineering. S&T also offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees
in explosives engineering. One PI, from UK, also holds a full-time academic position in mining
engineering. UK also offers an ABET-accredited undergraduate and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in
mining engineering with research in explosives engineering. S&T’s Experimental Mine and
Explosives Research Facilities, UK’s Explosives Research Facilities, and other research labs
provide unparalleled environments, and resources to undertake this initiative.
The research team will interact with CDC-NIOSH and fulfill all requirements. The overall
outcome is to reduce miners’ risk of traumatic injuries and fatalities in mine emergencies. This
initiative will expand knowledge and capacity in mine emergencies, train researchers, transfer
technologies into industry through research-to-practice approach and provide training for mine
safety personnel. We will disseminate research results in journals and conference proceedings and
establish an arms-length Advisory Board to provide counsel on research directions. Board
members include Arch, Komatsu, Fred Weber, Matrix, MSHA, and Strata. To achieve these
research goals, S&T and UK request $1 million per year funding, within the 4-year duration.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11142297
- **Project number:** 6U60OH012350-04M001
- **Recipient organization:** MISSOURI UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
- **Principal Investigator:** Lana Z Alagha
- **Activity code:** U60 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** ALLCDC
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $500,545
- **Award type:** 6
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11142297

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11142297, Research, Technological Innovations and Human Factors for Effective Miner Self-Escape from Underground Mine Emergencies (6U60OH012350-04M001). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11142297. Licensed CC0.

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