Overview
ISO 22932-7:2025 - Mining - Vocabulary - Part 7: Ventilation is the first edition (2025) part of the ISO 22932 series that standardizes terminology used in underground mine ventilation. The document specifies commonly used terms and definitions that have specific meaning in underground mine ventilation (some entries are also applicable to surface mining). It is a vocabulary standard intended to remove ambiguity and align language across engineering, safety, regulatory and research activities.
Key topics and technical content
ISO 22932-7:2025 organizes terminology into clear subject areas, including:
- Gases in mine air (e.g., mine air, damp, afterdamp, blackdamp, white damp, noxious gas, return air)
- Combustible gases environment (e.g., firedamp/methane, gas migration, combustible gas layers, methane drainage, outbursts)
- Dusts in mine air (e.g., coal dust, bug dust, caked dust, coal-dust and mixed explosions)
- Devices and security devices used for ventilation and safety (definitions for lamps, sensors, guards)
- Fans usage and auxiliary mine ventilation (terms for ventilation fans, auxiliary systems)
- Installations for passage, diversion or prevention of mine air (airways, seals, stoppings, regulators)
- Mine ventilation management (layout, surveillance, general concepts)
- Measurement (terminology related to monitoring and measurement of airflow, gas and dust)
- Bibliography and index for cross-reference
The standard contains no normative references and points users to ISO and IEC terminology databases (ISO OBP, Electropedia) for additional context.
Practical applications and users
ISO 22932-7:2025 is primarily a reference vocabulary that supports:
- Mining and ventilation engineers - consistent terminology in designs, ventilation plans and models
- Safety managers and inspectors - unambiguous terms for risk assessments, incident reports and emergency procedures
- Regulators and legislators - harmonized language in regulations and guidance
- Equipment manufacturers and suppliers - standardized product descriptions, specs and documentation
- Trainers, auditors and researchers - consistent glossary for education, training materials and publications
- Software developers and modelers - standardized labels and metadata in ventilation and monitoring systems
Use cases include writing SOPs, specifying contracts, documenting ventilation layouts, preparing training curricula, and improving interoperability of monitoring data and reports.
Related standards (if applicable)
- ISO 22932 series (other parts) - for broader mining vocabulary across disciplines
- ISO/TC 82 (Mining) - the technical committee responsible for the series
For terminology lookup: ISO Online Browsing Platform and IEC Electropedia.
Keywords: ISO 22932-7:2025, mining ventilation, mine ventilation vocabulary, underground mine ventilation, firedamp, methane drainage, coal dust, ventilation management, ventilation measurement.
