Abstracts Category : Other

Urban emergency medical response vs. mining emergency medical response : a comparative study

by Christopher A Enright

Emergency medical response is one of the critical services provided to the citizens of the United States, and a certain standard of care exists for response in the urban environment today. This study seeks to evaluate and characterize whether this standard of care is met in both surface and underground mining in the United States. It will also provide recommendations on what can be changed to improve emergency medical care delivered to injured miners. Data from both the accident and injury database from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), reports from the National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH), and publications and data on urban emergency medical care from various sources have been assessed to develop a comparison between the two operating environments. With the direct comparison of the data on care available and results, several critical shortcomings of the mining industry were identified, including a considerably lower standard of care and a pronounced travel time to definitive care. Considerable potential exists for the mining industry to improve care delivered, notably increasing training required for miners and mine emergency response professionals, collecting more comprehensive statistics and preparing for expedited transport to definitive care at an accredited trauma center.Advisors/Committee Members: Brune, Jrgen F. (advisor), Smith, Collin D. (committee member), Miller, Hugh B. (committee member).