| Document ID (ISN) | 65371 |
| CIS number |
95-1733 |
| ISSN - Serial title |
0002-8894 - American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal |
| Year |
1995 |
| Convention or series no. |
|
| Author(s) |
Weeks J.L. |
| Title |
Estimating possible fraud in coal mine operators' samples of respirable dust |
| Bibliographic information |
Apr. 1995, Vol.56, No.4, p.328-332. 26 ref. |
| Abstract |
In the US, coal mine operators are required to sample miners' exposure to respirable dust on a regular basis. A method was developed for the screening of all operator samples for detecting possible instances of fraud. The method relies on the occurrence of very low concentration (VLC) samples, i.e. concentrations ≤ 0.1mg/m3, more frequently than expected. Out of 1983 continuous mining section samples examined, there were 147 VLC-50 sections, i.e. for which the proportion of VLC samples exceeded 50% (vs. 7.3 expected, O/E 0 20.1, based on the assumption that the occurrence of VLC samples could be described with the binomial probability distribution). These 147 sections occurred more frequently than expected in small as opposed to large mines. For sections using conventional mining techniques, 19 out of 175 were VLC-50 vs. 0.9 expected (O/E = 20.8). On the other hand, in mines with longwall sections and in those with bituminous and anthracite hand-loading sections the observed number of VLC-50 sections was not significantly different from the expected. It is suggested that investigation for fraud should be restricted to continuous and conventional-technique coal mines with VLC-50 sections. |
| Descriptors (primary) |
coal dust; reliability; determination of concentration; coal mining; exposure evaluation |
| Descriptors (secondary) |
comparative study; USA |
| Document type |
D - Periodical articles |
| Country / State or Province | USA |
| Subject(s) |
Dust, aerosols and related diseases
|
| Broad subject area(s) |
Chemical safety
|
| Browse category(ies) |
Exposure evaluation
Mining and quarrying
|
