{"id":941,"date":"2022-02-14T12:49:36","date_gmt":"2022-02-14T12:49:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lancaster.ac.uk\/stor-i-student-sites\/thomas-newman\/?p=941"},"modified":"2022-02-17T16:35:18","modified_gmt":"2022-02-17T16:35:18","slug":"yearly-coal-mining-disasters-changepoint-detection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lancaster.ac.uk\/stor-i-student-sites\/thomas-newman\/2022\/02\/14\/yearly-coal-mining-disasters-changepoint-detection\/","title":{"rendered":"Yearly Coal Mining Disasters – Bayesian Changepoint Detection"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
Around the world, mining disasters are the source of thousands of deaths every year. Amongst the different types of mining methods, underground coal mining is particularly dangerous. This was especially true during the 19<\/span>th<\/sup> century and led to the creation of the Coal Mines Regulations Act of 1887, which took effect in the United Kingdom on the 1st January 1888. Until then, it was not required to have ventilation in the mines and explosives could be stored underground, additionally, this act raised the minimal age for mine workers from 10 to 12 years old (note that until the 1840s, children as young as 5 years old took part in the industrial workforce) (Tailor, 1968)<\/a>. Social science researchers may be interested in finding out if such regulations have had an impact on the yearly number of mining disasters. This can contribute to a better understanding of what causes mining disasters and thus help further reduce them.<\/span><\/p>