Which role statement is true regarding alarm management and detector responsibility?

• A. The Underground Mine Manager authorises which surface personnel may acknowledge alarms
• B. The SSE authorises surface alarm acknowledgments
• C. The Ventilation Officer authorises alarm acknowledgments
• D. The Shift Manager authorises alarm acknowledgments

Answer: (A)

The essential idea is who has the formal authority to decide which surface personnel are allowed to acknowledge alarms. This authority sits with the Underground Mine Manager, because they oversee underground operations and control who is authorized to respond to or acknowledge detector alarms from the surface. This arrangement helps ensure that alarm responses are handled by appropriately trained people within the established chain of command, and it keeps accountability clear.

The Site Senior Executive has ultimate safety responsibility, but the specific delegation to authorize alarm acknowledgments is typically assigned down to the Underground Mine Manager. The Ventilation Officer’s focus is on ventilation and the operation of detectors themselves, not on who is authorized to acknowledge alarms. The Shift Manager handles daily shift coordination, but the formal authorization for who may acknowledge alarms is not their core role.