The Real Safety with MSHA
In less than a month, West Virginia has suffered two devastating mining accidents. The Sago Mine Tragedy left 12 dead and 1 clinging to life. From a health professional stand point, I don't believe he'll ever be the same. Carbon monoxide poisoning is lethal, and he's the only person known to survive as long as he did. Today, a mine in Logan caught fire. Ten miners escaped, only to find that two crew members never made it to safety. What does this say? Well first, and most obviously, coal mining is a dangerous job. We've known that for years. There are hundreds of WV men that lost their lives in coal mines. Secondly, I think we need to start addressing why mining is so unsafe. MSHA, the Mine Safety and Hazard Administration, has jurisdiction over mine facilities. It functions much like OSHA. I can't speak for the two mines involved in the tragedies this past month; however I can speak for my experiences at a cement plant in my hometown. Basically, MSHA is nothing more than a formality. They make announced visits to sites. They hang out in the office area until things are "cleaned up" around the plant. They issue fines and citations. It basically takes a death or a serious injury to get any satisfaction. At the plant, whenver MSHA would come on site, the stone tunnel belts mysteriously were shut down. MSHA should've questioned this because stone cannot make it to the mills without the belts and production was not down. The belts were considered unsafe because the dust collectors did not work and visibility around the belts was diminshed. Two men fell through a roof and one man got his arm stuck in a vac truck and finally MSHA shut the plant down. They had issued citations about these infractions multiple times, however it was not until someone was injured that they actually took action on the infraction. I think it's time MSHA is held to a higher standard. First step - UNANNOUNCED vists. Second step - no pit stop at the office. Third step - get some cajones and DO something about infractions. Citations and fines mean jack shit to a multi-million dollar company. Until MSHA straightens up, I think miners around the country are at the mercy of crude, heartless corporations who will do anything to save a dollar.
posted by ahsirt at 5:30 PM
1 Comments:
Thank you for sharing the article and the email list group. I will share that with fellow West Virginians.
I received an email from Senator Byrd yesterday regarding the recent mine tragedies. The email was drafted before the two miners were found dead. I believe Senator Byrd when he says he will address this issue. Senator Rockefellar has also vowed to discover why these tragedies have occurred. Below is the email from Senator Byrd.
Dear Friend:
The first few weeks of this New Year have been trying for our state. The tragic accident at the Sago mine in Upshur County was difficult for all West Virginians to bear. The miners and their families remain in our prayers. Now today, our hearts are filled with concern about the survival of two more of our state's coal miners. We thank the brave teams who are fighting this mine fire and searching for these miners.
Even as rescue teams search for two miners in Logan County, I have resolved to do everything in my power to get to the truth of what happened at the Sago mine. Two fundamental questions must be answered: "Why did this happen?" and more importantly, "How can we make certain this does not happen again?"
On Monday, I hope to begin to find answers to these questions when the Senate holds a hearing I requested to examine the Sago tragedy. Federal mining officials, as well as representatives of labor, business, and academia with expertise in mine safety, have been invited to testify.
I hope that this hearing will prove more enlightening than the meeting I had last week with the Bush Administration officials responsible for mine safety, the Mine Health and Safety Administration (MSHA). That meeting left me with lingering concerns about the Administration's commitment to the safety of our mines. I don't believe that the federal government is doing enough to protect coal miners from future tragedies. There are not enough inspectors. There are not enough resources. The MSHA is understaffed, underfunded, and underequipped.
We owe it to the Sago miners to bring safety technology into the 21st century. Much of our safety and rescue equipment is 30 to 40 years old. If we can talk to an astronaut on the moon we ought to be able to talk with miners trapped 260 feet below the earth.
Why has the government repeatedly cut funding for mine safety during each of the last five years? Have competent people have been appointed to run essential government agencies?
For the miners lost at Sago, for their families, and for every other miner who goes to work each day under difficult and dangerous conditions, we must answer these questions.
I appreciate your continued support. May God be with the families who have lost their loved ones, and may the Hands of the Great Physician continue to guide the doctors and nurses caring for Randal McCloy, the sole survivor of this tragedy. He and his family are in our prayers.
And, while we do not know very many details at this point about the Logan County miners, we know one fact: Miners are incredibly resourceful. I continue to hold out hope that these miners have found safe refuge from the fire and gas and that the rescue teams will bring them out alive.
Sincerely,
Robert C. Byrd
United States Senator
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