Skip to main content
IOSH Magazine: Safety, Health and Wellbeing in the world of work - return to the homepage IOSH Magaazine logo
  • Visit IOSH Magazine on Facebook
  • Visit @ioshmagazine on Twitter
  • Visit IOSH Magazine on LinkedIn
MEMBER PREDICTIONS
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
November/December issue

Main navigation

  • Home
    • Browse previous issues
    • Member accolades
    • Member tributes
  • Health
    • Mental health and wellbeing
      • Bullying
      • Drugs and alcohol
      • Mental health
      • Stress
      • Wellbeing
    • Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
      • Ergonomics
      • Manual handling
      • Vibration
    • Occupational cancer
      • Asbestos
      • Hazardous substances
      • Radiation
  • Safety
    • Incident management
      • Chemicals
      • Electricity
      • Fire
      • First aid
      • Slips and trips
    • Non-health related fatalities
      • Road safety
      • Work at height
    • Risk management
      • Confined spaces
      • Disability
      • Legionella
      • Lifting operations
      • Lone workers
      • Noise
      • Personal protective equipment
      • Violence at work
      • Work equipment
      • Workplace transport
  • Management
    • Human factors
      • Accident reduction
      • Behavioural safety
      • Control of contractors
      • Migrant workers
      • Older workers
      • Reporting
      • Safe systems of work
      • Sickness absence
      • Young workers
    • Leadership and management
      • Employee involvement
      • Management systems
    • Management standards
      • ISO 45001
      • ISO 45003
    • Planning
      • Assurance
      • Compliance
      • Emergency planning
      • Insurance
    • Rehabilitation
      • Personal injury
      • Return to work
    • Strategy
      • Corporate governance
      • Performance/results
      • Regulation/enforcement
      • Reputation
    • Sustainability
      • Human capital and Vision Zero
  • Skills
    • Communication
    • Personal performance
      • Achieving Fellowship
      • Career development
      • Competencies
      • Personal development
      • Professional skills
      • Qualifications
    • Stakeholder management
    • Working with others
      • Leadership
      • Future Leaders
  • Jobs
  • Covid-19
  • Knowledge Bank
    • Back to basics
    • Book club
    • Infographics
    • Podcast
    • Reports
    • Webinars
    • Videos
  • Products & Services
  • Management
    • Human factors
      • Sickness absence
      • Accident reduction
      • Behavioural safety
      • Control of contractors
      • Migrant workers
      • Older workers
      • Reporting
      • Safe systems of work
      • Young workers
    • Leadership and management
      • Employee involvement
      • Leadership
      • Management systems
    • Management standards
      • ISO 45001
      • ISO 45003
    • Planning
      • Assurance
      • Compliance
      • Emergency planning
      • Insurance
    • Strategy
      • Corporate governance
      • Performance/results
      • Regulation/enforcement
      • Reputation
    • Sustainability
      • Human capital and Vision Zero
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • Mental health and wellbeing
      • Bullying
      • Drugs and alcohol
      • Mental health
      • Stress
      • Wellbeing
    • Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
      • Ergonomics
      • Manual handling
      • Vibration
    • Occupational cancer
      • Asbestos
      • Hazardous substances
      • Radiation
  • Safety
    • Incident management
      • Chemicals
      • Electricity
      • Fire
      • First aid
      • Slips and trips
    • Non-health related fatalities
      • Road safety
      • Work at height
    • Risk management
      • Confined spaces
      • Disability
      • Legionella
      • Lifting operations
      • Lone workers
      • Noise
      • Personal protective equipment
      • Violence at work
      • Work equipment
      • Workplace transport
  • Skills
    • Communication
    • Personal performance
      • Career development
      • Competencies
      • Personal development
      • Qualifications
      • Professional skills
      • Achieving Fellowship
    • Stakeholder management
    • Working with others
      • Leadership
      • Future Leaders
  • Transport and logistics
  • Third sector
  • Retail
  • Mining and quarrying
  • Rail
  • Rehabilitation
    • Personal injury
    • Return to work
  • Utilities
  • Manufacturing and engineering
  • Construction
  • Sector: IOSH Branch
    • Sector: Northern Ireland
    • Sector: Midland
    • Sector: Merseyside
    • Sector: Manchester and North West Districts
    • Sector: Ireland East
    • Sector: Ireland
    • Sector: Edinburgh
    • Sector: Desmond-South Munster
    • Sector: Qatar
    • Sector: Oman
    • Singapore
    • Sector: South Coast
    • Sector: South Wales
    • Sector: Thames Valley
    • Sector: Tyne and Wear
    • Sector: UAE
    • Sector: West of Scotland
    • Sector: Yorkshire
  • Healthcare
  • Sector: Fire
  • Sector: Financial/general services
  • Sector: Energy
  • Education
  • Sector: Communications and media
  • Chemicals
  • Sector: Central government
  • Catering and leisure
  • Agriculture and forestry
  • Sector: Local government
  • Sector: IOSH Group
    • Sector: Financial Services
    • Sector: Sports Grounds and Events
    • Rural industries
    • Sector: railway
    • Public Services
    • Sector: Offshore
    • Sector: Hazardous Industries
    • Sector: Food and Drink
    • Sector: Fire Risk Management
    • Education
    • Construction
    • Sector: Aviation and Aerospace
Quick links:
  • Home
  • Categories
  • Products and services

The breathing apparatus that mine rescue teams rely on

Sponsored content
Open-access content Friday 22nd July 2016

mrs

It is also used by teams working in tunnels, chambers, tanks, vats, silos, trenches, pipes, sewers, flues, wells or other enclosed spaces when there are difficult working conditions, including:
• Toxic or oxygen deficient atmospheres
• Long distances (4000m plus there and back is not unusual)
• Hot and humid conditions
• Poor visibility (smoke)
• Poor underfoot conditions
• Damaged infrastructure
• Restricted access
• Restricted height

Rescue teams can be required to perform rescues and inspection in the conditions mentioned above. They can, for rescue purposes, be asked to travel in the conditions outlined above, and at the end of this, treat and rescue casualties. They then have to do the return trip, this time transporting and keeping alive a casualty.

To ask rescue workers to undertake this arduous operation they must have complete faith and total confidence in the equipment they are being provided with. It is essential to ensure their safety while they perform a rescue, or take remedial action to prevent injury or to minimize damage.

The workforce also needs to be confident that a rescue will be effective. Key to this is the breathing apparatus they are provided with.

A normal compressed air breathing apparatus, as used by other emergency services, will be capable of supplying the wearer with up to thirty minutes of breathable air. This can be extended by increasing the cylinder size, increasing the pressure or doubling up on the number of cylinders, but realistically you will still only be capable of getting an hours use from this type of breathing apparatus.

Airline breathing apparatus would give you the duration required, but has the obvious limitation to the distance it will be effective over.

Clearly none of the above would provide sufficient confidence to wearers who would, or could, encounter the conditions during mines rescue operations. Neither would they satisfy the legal and moral requirement to have an effective means of rescue in the event of a catastrophe or accident, affecting employees, in a mine, tunnel, chamber, tank, vat, silo, trench, pipe, sewer, flue, well or other enclosed space.

The BG4 self-contained regenerative closed circuit breathing apparatus combines uncompromising safety with outstanding respiratory protection and wearer comfort. This breathing apparatus provides the wearer with up to four hours of breathing air in toxic or oxygen deficient environments.

Benefits
• Breathing air for 4 hours
• Highest breathing comfort coupled with an integrated cooling system
• Ergonomically shaped carrying plate
• Reduced exposure from a well-balanced system
• The harness and intelligent breathing hose routing for excellent freedom of movement

The Drager FPS 7000 RP full face mask that MRS Training & Rescue teams use can be fitted with an integrated drinking valve. This is a huge benefit to breathing apparatus users who wear the set potentially to its four-hour capacity or to those who are required to operate in hot and humid conditions.

Whenever MRS teams use the BG4 during rescue operations, inspections or firefighting operations in confined spaces such as tunnels, underground ducts, or in situations with long access routes, the BG4 closed circuit breathing apparatus is the safest option to provide our employees with the maximum possible protection from a self-contained breathing apparatus.

The apparatus works with a positive pressure breathing circuit that protects the wearer by preventing hazardous substances from entering the sealed breathing system.

The duration of the apparatus is four hours. (This is reduced in extreme conditions to protect the wearer in, for example, hot and humid conditions) The CO2 absorber removes carbon dioxide from the exhaled air. At the same time the breathing air is enriched with oxygen from the oxygen cylinder. Before the regenerated breathing air is inhaled again it flows through the breathing air cooler where an ice mold of the same shape is inserted inside the cooler to reduce the temperature of the inhaled air and minimize physical stress to the wearer.

The BG4 is equipped with the Bodyguard II fully electronic signal and warning unit. Monitoring functions of the Bodyguard II include: cylinder pressure (digital); remaining duration of use (time remaining unit residual pressure warning); temperature indication upon the press of a button; and automatic recording of all mission data.

The BG4 is the breathing apparatus that MRS relies on to protect its employees who in turn can provide protection to your employees. It also provides BG4 training at its centres nationwide and offers maintenance and hire services.

For a no obligation discussion about your requirements, contact MRS Training & Rescue today. www.mrstrainingandrescue.com

Topics
Products and services
This content is paid for and not an endorsement from IOSH or IOSH magazine.

You might also like...

Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linked in
  • Mail
  • Print

Latest Jobs

Health, Safety, Environment and Quality Manager

Newcastle Upon Tyne
Up to £55000 per annum + Car or Car Allowance & Benefits
Reference
5452767

Health & Safety Auditor

Cardiff (Caerdydd)
£34,692 + OTE and Benefits
Reference
5452765

Health Safety & Assurance Advisor

Birmingham
£38000 - £42000 per annum
Reference
5452761
See all jobs »

Today's top reads

Sign up for regular e-alerts

Receive the latest news and features, free to your inbox

Sign up

Subscribe to IOSH magazine

Receive the print edition straight to your door

Subscribe
IOSH Covers
​
FOLLOW US
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube
CONTACT US
Contact us
Tel +44 (0)20 7880 6200
​

IOSH

About IOSH
Become a member
IOSH Events
MyIOSH

Information

Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Cookie Policy

Get in touch

Contact us
Advertise with us
Subscribe to IOSH magazine
Write for IOSH magazine

IOSH Magazine

Health
Safety
Management
Skills
IOSH Jobs

© 2023 IOSH • IOSH is not responsible for the content of external sites

ioshmagazine.com and IOSH Magazine are published by Redactive Media Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part is not allowed without written permission.

Redactive Media Group Ltd, 71-75 Shelton Street, London WC2H 9JQ