Andrew Self was introduced to underground coal mining in the UK at a depth of cover of 1,000m. A university degree followed at Nottingham. Ventilation was taught then by Malcolm J McPherson. They kept in touch until Malcolm's passing. There followed a number of mines, all of which had gas, ventilation and spontaneous combustion problems. Only one had heat problems but memories of those days remain vivid.
It is fair to say that the seeds were sown way back then. He has investigated two fatal explosions and two non fatal. The number of spontaneous combustion incidents in which he has been involved is extensive. Andrew is much more an advocate of prevention, but is no stranger to live incidents. His motivation is to assist in designing robust, engineered systems which allow the operator to manage the inherent risk.
Andrew has worked in a number of countries, UK, USA, RSA, India, Iran, Australia and New Zealand. He has worked on legal cases at State, Federal and Supreme Court level.
David Fairhall.....