Our History
Over 100 years ago, accidents in mines in the UK were common and by act of parliament, the Mines Rescue Service was formed (now known as MRS Training & Rescue). They became experts at working in confined spaces, training those entering them and crucially, rescuing people from them. Today, thankfully, the UK leads the way in excellent standards of safety practices at work, yet sadly, mining is still killing hundreds of people in other parts of the world. MRS Training & Rescue are committed to helping other countries learn and put into place best practice in order to keep people safe, healthy and productive.
Why is H&S management important?
Mining has always been viewed as a high-risk industry worldwide, with each country having its own sets of legislation and issues. Often this is exacerbated by the political, economic, environmental, and geological conditions present in any given region of the world. There is a need in many countries for improved infrastructure and strong H&S management that mirrors good international industry practises, in order to improve safety conditions and reduce the occurrence of mining disasters and to minimise consequences if these events occur.
Why MRS Training & Rescue?
MRS Training & Rescue began operating in hazardous environments in an age long before modern legislation guided changes to employee safety. Over the last 100 years, our fundamental principles have stayed the same. We are one of the founding members of the International Mines Rescue Body (IMRB). Our aim is, and always has been, to offer scalable solutions which help keep people safe and healthy in their working environment and we have years of experience in delivering positive outcomes in challenging circumstances across the globe. Safety and employee health is at the heart of everything we do.
Quality Assurance
We have a competent and skilful workforce, measured against recognised British and international standards. These include:
- ISO 45001:2018
- ISO 9001: 2015
- ISO 14001: 2015
- Achilles Verify (overall score of 100%)
- MPAwards
- City & Guilds
We are subject to rigorous annual checks by both the British Assessment Bureau and Achilles Verify. We also undertake internal audits by our Health, Safety, Quality and Environmental Audit team. Periodic off-site rescue cover audits are also carried out to ensure that our standards are maintained
Governance and expertise
We are a leading authority in mining and rescue. Our structure has retained all the governance and expertise required to operate a national mines rescue scheme, which up until 2015, was approved by the Secretary of State. This same structure works for us today and helps us operate and maintain a technical rescue, training and consultancy service that covers a range of industrial sectors. Major mining companies in the UK trust us to deliver their emergency response and rescue services when needed. No other rescue company in the public or private sector has the same knowledge and experience in mining as we do.
British Experts: Global Providers
Since our inception in the UK mining industry in the early 1900’s, we have used all of our early lessons and experience to promote Health & Safety in the UK and around the globe, particularly in relation to mining and confined space operations. Our projects are fulfilled by people with many years’ experience of working “on the ground”, and not just theory based. This means that our project management methodology is designed to be practical, adaptable, common sense based and designed for use in the real world.
Our Services
- Unrivalled worldwide expertise
- Experience developed through an extensive history in mining including:
- The capability to interpret the results of mine environmental information to understand, and mitigate for, risk factors.
- High levels of competence in handling emergency situations and preventing accidents
- Risk assessments
- Mining safety hazards
- Training
- Health and Safety management and support
- Mining best practice expertise
- Experience of setting legislation with the regulators
- Advice on national and international regulations and compliance
Global Experience
We have been collaborating with companies worldwide for many years, to provide expert training and consultancy in all areas of health and safety, particularly mining and mines rescue. Here are some of our recent, and ongoing, projects, which demonstrate the variety and flexibility of work we undertake.
The mining rescue practices and the teaching process used in the UK applied in the training, were of great importance. They can be implemented to the National Service of Mining Rescue in Colombia.
The UK Mines Rescue Service is one of the founding members of the IMRB and they are highly respected not only across the EU but around the world.
