Power outages became a part of Ukrainian life with the outbreak of the full-scale war, when the country's energy facilities were repeatedly damaged by Russia's armed aggression. Shutdowns, whether planned or emergency, are dangerous for both equipment and employees of mining enterprises. They equally require a clear procedure to minimise potential risks.
Power outages caused by enemy shelling of energy infrastructure can cause numerous problems in production if preventive measures are not taken in a timely manner. To prevent the negative consequences of blackouts, Metinvest’s mining and processing plants have developed and implemented an algorithm of actions for employees. It includes a system of communication between all levels, distribution of functions and areas of responsibility between employees of different departments. The measures are developed to be applied in the event of both planned and emergency power outages.
According to Maksym Sovenko, Chief Specialist of the Health and Safety Directorate, working groups at the plants' shops have previously assessed the risks and identified critical equipment whose unplanned shutdown could cause harm to employees or make it impossible for other equipment in the shop to continue operating. The working group members studied in detail the potential risks for each type of equipment and identified the personnel who would be involved in the process of localising a blackout accident. Step-by-step actions were developed, including the use of shut-off valves, switches, electrical connectors, as well as appropriate communication and notification equipment, evacuation exits and routes, fire, emergency and personal protective equipment.
The employees of shops learn the algorithm of actions in the event of power outages during theoretical training. Process and maintenance personnel, as well as employees of contractors, are involved in the training. In September, 104 training sessions were planned at Northern, Central and Ingulets GOKs. Most of them have already been completed. In particular, Ingulets employees recently rehearsed how to respond to a power outage at the building of the reloading point No. 8. At Northern GOK, one of the training sessions took place at the slurry pumping station. The employees tested the algorithm of actions in case of flooding at the -15 m elevation due to an emergency power outage. At Central GOK, employees practised disconnecting the equipment of centralisation devices, alarms, railway switch control devices, and switching off the lighting at the crushing plant.
"Such training is an important part of our emergency preparedness," comments Andrii NARAEVSKY, Deputy Head of the Networks and Substations Department at Central GOK, "and it has become especially important now when power outages are often the result of hostile attacks. So we have to be prepared for unexpected equipment shutdowns that could potentially have negative consequences for the production process. Each employee must know what actions to take to quickly localise them. Regular training based on a clear plan allow us to minimise risks and ensure safety even in critical conditions."
On-site training sessions are held quarterly for employees of mining and processing plants according to the schedule at various production sites and locations, where employees practice the measures defined in the event of power outages in real conditions.
