"Foreman Zone and more" in less than four years of its operation has been recognized, appreciated and awarded several times. Among its awards are the Mining Success of the Year of the School of Underground Exploration and the 1st degree award at the Polish National Competition for Improvement of Working Conditions. "Robota na grubie" – educational game dedicated to the platform and then popularized on-line, received a third degree award in the next edition of the same contest. The game continues to be successful.
Materials posted on the Platform "Foreman Zone and more" are not only prepared by JSW employees but also come from the resources of the State Mining Authority, District Mining Offices in Rybnik and Gliwice, Central Mining Rescue Station S.A. in Bytom, the Central Mining Institute in Katowice, the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice and the AGH University of Science and Technology in Cracow.
Currently, more than 18,000 employees use the platform as well as employees of WUG, OUG in Rybnik and Gliwice, AGH and Silesian University of Technology, CSRG S.A. in Bytom and OSRG Wodzisław.
The platform received a recommendation from the Higher Mining Authority, which posted extensive information on its website. In the section "Occupational Health and Safety in the Mining Industry", it is stated that "the platform may be a breakthrough in the education of miners in the field of occupational health and safety, and contribute to the reduction of accidents in mining plants", and that "it can be an inspiration for other entrepreneurs Mining in modernization of crew training in the scope of health and safety. The last sentence of this opinion turned out to be prophetic.
In 2015 cooperation with the AGH Department of Mining and Geoengineering was initiated.
At present AGH students can log in to the computer desk of one of the academic staff who is responsible for launching the "Foreman Zone and more" training and information platform at the Faculty of Mining and Geoengineering and is updating on the base of scientific articles by employees of this department, with coal mining. As a result of these activities, the platform was enriched only this year with 27 current articles and 5 presentations prepared by AGH scientists, which resulted in the separation of the AGH sub-sector in the Scientific Materials section. The platform resources are used by students looking for materials for their engineering and master's work. At the faculty library a new computer station is being prepared for the students use.
As it turns out, the "Foreman Zone and more" aroused interest and became an inspiration also for other mining entrepreneurs who, based on it, decided to educate their employees through the internet. An example may be internet platform Miner OnLine launched in 2015, developed by the Department of Health and Safety of Katowicki Holding Węglowy based on our idea. After KHW mines have joined Polska Grupa Górnicza, this solution has been used for the needs of the whole company. The miner of OnLine is "Gwarek OnLine - platform, which was launched in October in a portal addressed to employees of Polska Grupa Górnicza.
"Foreman Zone and more" will be presented during this year's Polish Mining Congress.
It seems that the right time has come to combine the efforts of mining entrepreneurs to develop training and information platforms operating in the Polish Mining Industry through the exchange of experiences and accessible materials.