Application of Job Safety Analysis and William Fine Methods to Identify and Control Hazards in a Uranium Mine in Central Area of Iran

Working in the mines particularly in underground mines is one of the hard and harmful jobs due to occurring different accidents and diseases. The aim of this study was application of job analysis and William Fine to identify and control hazards in a uranium mine. The risk assessment was conducted using job safety analysis (JSA) in 22 jobs with high accident frequency and severity rates. Data were collected for analysis using observation and interview methods and frequency of job risks was identified. William Fine method was used to evaluate health risks, make decision, and prioritize corrective measures for the hazards. 182 risks were identified as a result of JSA. The most probable risks were identified as radiation exposure and rock falls with respective relative frequency of 42 and 18%. According to the results of William Fine, oxygen deficiency, radon gas inhalation, exposure to ionizing radiation, and serving activities had the highest level of risk with respective scores of 3600, 3000, 3000, and 3000. Carpentry operations and compressor operator had the lowest level of risk score of 60 and 180, respectively. Radiation is the major risk in uranium mining operations. Therefore, the basic control measures including using the wet mountain cutting method (to prevent from radioactive dust dispersion), ventilation of radon gas in the tunnel, monitoring the gases after blasting process, personnel training, and the risk assessment routinely should be done for all the mining operations.