Coal Mining Safety Issues

Digging Deep Into the Coal Mining Safety Issues

The United States is the biggest coal producer in the world . It has an extensive history of mining dating back to the 1800 's . Mining paved the way for movement and growth of people from different towns and cities Mining brought money but also has taken thousands of human lives

Overview of the Coal Mine Safety

January 2 , 2006 was a reminder of the hazards that coal miners face everyday . Twelve miners died in an explosion at the Sago mine in West Virginia . Lightning

hit and penetrated the ground filled with methane gas causing the blast which trapped the miners in rubbles . Rescuers were able to act eleven hours after when authorities have made sure that the area is safe

Twelve is such a small number to consider when we review the tragic records in this industry

In 1925 , the average annual death between 1946 to 1950 was 1 ,054 with annual average injuries of 63 ,367 . The figures significantly dropped in 1976 to 1980 with 254 deaths and injuries of 41 ,220 . Between 1990 to 1999 , deaths were at 93 and injuries at 21 ,351 . There were only 25 fatalities in the mining sector in 2005

The fall of the numbers can be attributed to several factors . It can be explained by decreased employment of the industry from 749 ,000 in 1925 to 110 ,000 at present . The figures

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are consistent with the dropped of the fatality rate to 0 .25 per thousand from 3 .36 per thousand in 1925 ( Rappaport , 2006

Miners are also highly probable victims of debilitating occupational diseases such as the black lung or the coal worker 's pneumoconiosis Black lung claims 1 ,000 lives on average annually . The disease is preceded by years of difficulty breathing and weakness

Mining Regulations

The drop in number of casualties is attributable to the shift from underground to surface mining , mechanization , long walls , controlling coal dust , monitoring methane gas , adequate support roofs , and avoiding equipment which may spark ( Rappaport , 2006

Regulations through legislations and government bodies are also in placed to monitor and implement safety precautions for the coal miners The federal government is spending more that 700 Million dollars to run two agencies which oversee mining activities

The Mine Safety and Health Administration or MSHA aims to implement the provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act which promotes a balanced of enforcement , education , training , and technical support This law was last amended in 1977

MSHA 's actions are coordinated with the Department of Labor and the US Congress oversees the body . MSHA conducts inspection of underground mines at least four times a year (Lauriski , 2002

OSHA or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration targets inspection of firms with the worst accident records br

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The agencies have been under strong criticism by miner unions . They attack the inactivity of the regulatory bodies which hire one inspector per four coal mines . The miners...