With the tragedy in West Virgina, I have been watching the news and I notice some things about mining that have been taken a bit out of context. I am no expert by any means, but I have been a miner so I may have a bit more knowledge on the subject then the main stream media. So here's my two cents worth...
First the violations. The Upper Big Branch mine in West Virgina has been said to have hundreds of violations and fines that they have not paid. Every mine has hundreds of violations and fines they have not paid. You have to look at the actual violations. Remember that a mine could be miles underground, just the massive size of a mine can create multiple violations. You can get violations for eating in the wrong place or poor housekeeping. So look at the actual violations. I do believe the more violations that are "small" in nature can lead to more serous violations or an accident, kind of like a pyramid.
Fines. When a company is inspected and is fined, they don't just say "Oh, OK here's a thousand dollars." A lot of fines can be up to the inspector. Let's take a popular violation in a coal mine: rock dusting. When an area is mined, employees follow up applying a limestone dust to the walls and roof of a mine called rock dust. This dust keeps the coal from becoming coal dust, which is as explosive as gasoline. It is important. OK, let's assume the inspector walks down an entry that is seldom traversed and a rock has fallen off the roof, leaving the exposed area without rock dust. They can site you for that and usually will. The mine operator will appeal that type of violation, when it is a "judgment call". When the violation is in appeal they will not pay the fine. Sometimes they win the appeal sometime they lose. The appeals process does take some time (it is the government).
The working area of a mine is inspected by a certified Supervisor prior to every shift. They check for methane, rock falls, and other safety concerns. When a section or panel of the mine has been completed that portion of the mine is sealed off. Those sealed sections are not inspected as often. I believe those areas are inspected weekly (I could be wrong on that). So if there was a safety problem in those area they would not be noticed as quickly.
Shelters. Every mine has shelters setup in case of an emergency. These shelters are located about every 1000 feet. These shelters are stalked with food, water, cribbing (wood for building supports for the roof), large cloths for directing the flow of air, and tools. There is a chance that if you can get to that shelter you could survive. Every miner is equipped and trained on how to use a rebreather. You wear that on your belt. What a rebreather does is; removes the toxins from the air you breath so you can breath it again. The chemicals in these rebreathers last about one hour. Miners are not equipt with portable oxygen tanks. They may have oxygen at the shelter locations. If the miners at Upper Big Branch made it to a shelter and they have fresh air there is still a chance of survival.
Methane. Methane is very common in a coal mine. Methane and coal naturally occur together in the earth. They do not use methane in the mining of coal.
Training. All miners are trained for a 40 hours on just the safety aspect of their jobs when they are first hired. Then they are re-trained every year for 8 hours. There is special training for special jobs like the Supervisor and the Electrician. It takes years of experience and testing to get these "papers".
Union vs Non-union and safety. It doesn't matter if they are in a union or not. Miners protect their own, not because they belong to a union or special group. It is because their lives depend on that bond. With most jobs, employees are usually on their own. They do what they can to get the promotion or raise. In the coal mine you depend on the other guy knowing their job, because them not knowing their job could cost you your life.
For example, if you are a smoker, you are not allowed to carry your cigarettes or lighter into the mine. Supervisors do random inspections of lunch boxes. If a lighter or cigarettes are found you will get reprimanded up to termination. MSHA can actully fine you peronally for that infraction. What is worse is the punishment you will get from your co-workers. Everything from being shunned to being beaten to within an inch of your life. No other place I have ever worked takes safety more seriously than in a coal mine, as they should. So when I hear someone stating that maybe they are not adequately trained because they are not in a union, I know that it is total garbage.
Coal mining is unsafe job. Early in the 20th century an average of 1,000 coal miners a year died. We average about 30 a year now. As a compairison we had 317 deaths in farming and ranching in 2008. I think that as an industry coal mining is doing very well. The problem is perception. When a farmer dies in an accident, there is usually only one or two people involved. When an underground miner dies in an accident there is usually a lot more men involved. So it is much more publicized. Do coal mines need more regulation? Maybe maybe not. We need to learn from tragedies like the West Virgina disaster and make improvements where we can. But as for being unsafe there have been great strides made.
A side note: Is mining scary? I have had several people tell me that they would never want to be a miner because it is scary. Yes, is it can be scary at times. No miner would tell you they are scared but they have to be scared to work there. It is that fear that makes you a safer miner. The mine to a coal miner is like fire to a firefighter. You have respect for the mine like a fireman has for the fire. It is a necessary evil. You do what you can to be safe, while learning what not to do from those who have mined before you. It is an experience I will never forget nor would I want to. When I was working at the coal mine I wrote a miners prayer. A poetic prayer for the miner. It shows you how I felt as a miner. You can find the prayer here.
Summary. Don't rush to start blaming people based on sketchy media information. Wait for the final determinations made by MSHA and other authorites. We don't know what actually happened and we may never know. What we do know is that there are 29 families that have lost or missing members. Those people need our prayers. Those people need our comfort during these very troubling times.
First the violations. The Upper Big Branch mine in West Virgina has been said to have hundreds of violations and fines that they have not paid. Every mine has hundreds of violations and fines they have not paid. You have to look at the actual violations. Remember that a mine could be miles underground, just the massive size of a mine can create multiple violations. You can get violations for eating in the wrong place or poor housekeeping. So look at the actual violations. I do believe the more violations that are "small" in nature can lead to more serous violations or an accident, kind of like a pyramid.
Fines. When a company is inspected and is fined, they don't just say "Oh, OK here's a thousand dollars." A lot of fines can be up to the inspector. Let's take a popular violation in a coal mine: rock dusting. When an area is mined, employees follow up applying a limestone dust to the walls and roof of a mine called rock dust. This dust keeps the coal from becoming coal dust, which is as explosive as gasoline. It is important. OK, let's assume the inspector walks down an entry that is seldom traversed and a rock has fallen off the roof, leaving the exposed area without rock dust. They can site you for that and usually will. The mine operator will appeal that type of violation, when it is a "judgment call". When the violation is in appeal they will not pay the fine. Sometimes they win the appeal sometime they lose. The appeals process does take some time (it is the government).
The working area of a mine is inspected by a certified Supervisor prior to every shift. They check for methane, rock falls, and other safety concerns. When a section or panel of the mine has been completed that portion of the mine is sealed off. Those sealed sections are not inspected as often. I believe those areas are inspected weekly (I could be wrong on that). So if there was a safety problem in those area they would not be noticed as quickly.
Shelters. Every mine has shelters setup in case of an emergency. These shelters are located about every 1000 feet. These shelters are stalked with food, water, cribbing (wood for building supports for the roof), large cloths for directing the flow of air, and tools. There is a chance that if you can get to that shelter you could survive. Every miner is equipped and trained on how to use a rebreather. You wear that on your belt. What a rebreather does is; removes the toxins from the air you breath so you can breath it again. The chemicals in these rebreathers last about one hour. Miners are not equipt with portable oxygen tanks. They may have oxygen at the shelter locations. If the miners at Upper Big Branch made it to a shelter and they have fresh air there is still a chance of survival.
Methane. Methane is very common in a coal mine. Methane and coal naturally occur together in the earth. They do not use methane in the mining of coal.
Training. All miners are trained for a 40 hours on just the safety aspect of their jobs when they are first hired. Then they are re-trained every year for 8 hours. There is special training for special jobs like the Supervisor and the Electrician. It takes years of experience and testing to get these "papers".
Union vs Non-union and safety. It doesn't matter if they are in a union or not. Miners protect their own, not because they belong to a union or special group. It is because their lives depend on that bond. With most jobs, employees are usually on their own. They do what they can to get the promotion or raise. In the coal mine you depend on the other guy knowing their job, because them not knowing their job could cost you your life.
For example, if you are a smoker, you are not allowed to carry your cigarettes or lighter into the mine. Supervisors do random inspections of lunch boxes. If a lighter or cigarettes are found you will get reprimanded up to termination. MSHA can actully fine you peronally for that infraction. What is worse is the punishment you will get from your co-workers. Everything from being shunned to being beaten to within an inch of your life. No other place I have ever worked takes safety more seriously than in a coal mine, as they should. So when I hear someone stating that maybe they are not adequately trained because they are not in a union, I know that it is total garbage.
Coal mining is unsafe job. Early in the 20th century an average of 1,000 coal miners a year died. We average about 30 a year now. As a compairison we had 317 deaths in farming and ranching in 2008. I think that as an industry coal mining is doing very well. The problem is perception. When a farmer dies in an accident, there is usually only one or two people involved. When an underground miner dies in an accident there is usually a lot more men involved. So it is much more publicized. Do coal mines need more regulation? Maybe maybe not. We need to learn from tragedies like the West Virgina disaster and make improvements where we can. But as for being unsafe there have been great strides made.
A side note: Is mining scary? I have had several people tell me that they would never want to be a miner because it is scary. Yes, is it can be scary at times. No miner would tell you they are scared but they have to be scared to work there. It is that fear that makes you a safer miner. The mine to a coal miner is like fire to a firefighter. You have respect for the mine like a fireman has for the fire. It is a necessary evil. You do what you can to be safe, while learning what not to do from those who have mined before you. It is an experience I will never forget nor would I want to. When I was working at the coal mine I wrote a miners prayer. A poetic prayer for the miner. It shows you how I felt as a miner. You can find the prayer here.
Summary. Don't rush to start blaming people based on sketchy media information. Wait for the final determinations made by MSHA and other authorites. We don't know what actually happened and we may never know. What we do know is that there are 29 families that have lost or missing members. Those people need our prayers. Those people need our comfort during these very troubling times.
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