Chilean mining accident stimulates Innovation in Footwear
The Chilean mining accident
became more than simply a mining rescue and touched the hearts of people all over the world. Many achievements and innovations were required in what certainly will be the rescue of the century. Copiapó mining accident occurred on 5 August 2010, when part of the San José copper-gold mine in the Atacama Desert near Copiapó, Chile, collapsed, leaving 33 men trapped 700 metres (2,300 ft) below ground. The miners survived underground for a record 69 days. All 33 were rescued and brought to the surface on 13 October 2010. On 22 August at 07:15 CLT, the eighth borehole, drilled by TerraServices, using a Schramm T685 WS drill drilling a 5½-inch hole, broke through. It reached a ramp, at 688 meters (2,257 ft) underground, about 20 meters (66 ft) from an emergency shelter room where the miners were expected to have taken refuge. When the communication was established between the 33 miners trapped under ground and the rescue team, they had a list of requests, but one request which many thought was impossible, was the request for safety boots in order for them to do their part in the rescue efforts. The serious constraint was that it had to fit down the approximately 700 meter, 80mm diameter initial drilling probe capsule. Bata Industrials technical took up the challenge and were able to construct a full leather, steel toe cap and rubber sole safety boot. The technical team worked hard at taking a conventional safety boot and deconstructing it to analyze each component and how it would impact on the constraints of how the boots had to be delivered to the miners.
In order to fit down a long narrow tube that reached the miners, all components of the boot needed to be collapsible. The final solution came by constructing the boot in 2 parts.
Part 1 - The inner sock, which was created using a breathable membrane, was designed to help the miners suffering from fungus infections on their feet, which also incorporatedthe metal safety toe cap.
Part 2 - Leather upper and sole which featured hydrofugated leather with high water resistance and flexible rubber outsoles.
The components were tightly wrapped in a strong plastic film which was sent down the probe tube along with fitting/assembly instructions.
