Scotland has some of the worlds’ most stunning scenery, and this is true of an old mine our team visited there recently. A mine manager contacted us as there was a need for a second means of egress / separate escape route and asked for advice and assistance in developing this.
Following an initial site visit – it was decided that MRS Training & Rescue would visit the mine and determine if there was a safe route of escape, halfway up the mountain via an old roadway.
Initial Site Visit
The raise – or rise as it is known – leading to the potential second route of escape was 70 metres high. Our experienced rope access rescue team entered the mine and inspected the shaft using ropes. From this, it was established that the rock was stable – but too steep for someone to climb and use as an escape route. Therefore, additional equipment such as stairs, ladders or rails were required.
The Work
Following the initial site visit and recommendations from our team, the mining company made several significant improvements to the safety of the escape route. These included installing ladders, handrails, and anchor points on the mountain itself, to enable a tension line to be fixed if required to get a stretcher down the mountain.
We then made a second inspection, taking a team of our rescue experts and all equipment necessary. After the inspection, we performed a mock rescue exercise where we rescued a mannequin which was at the bottom of the rise and brought to safety down the mountain to ground level. We timed the incident and exercise too and provided a report to the customer to say we felt the escape route was now safe and could be used in case of emergency.
Going forwards
Sliding a rope down a hole in the side of a mountain with a waterfall behind you isn’t the usual day job of our rescue teams, but one well within our capabilities. Now that the escape route is safe, we will be providing high risk confined space rescue training for the mining teams to enable them to perform a rescue should the need arise.
