#1441

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Fri Jul 2, 2004 10:19 am
Subject: US official: US, China to strengthen exchanges in mine safety

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US official: US, China to strengthen exchanges in mine safety

www.chinaview.cn 2004-07-02 17:33:38

BEIJING, June 2 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States will strengthen information and personnel exchanges with China in mine safety, said a senior official with the US Department of Labor here Friday.

He told the press on condition of anonymity that such exchanges will be made in a bid for solving the difficulties in China's mine industry safety.

During his China tour, which was fruitful and sincere in his words, he exchanged views with relevant Chinese officials about implementing the US-China agreements on coal mine safety, and discussed with them on the mine safety and miner safety.

He also inspected the coal mines in north China's Shanxi Province and northwest China's Shaanxi province, and acquainted himself with the health and safety situation of the local miners.

He said all these experiences in China made him learn about the difficulties existing in China's mine safety and also provided an opportunity for information exchanges between the United States and China.

China had to confront difficulties in mine safety due to the existing of so many small coal mines without registration, he said,adding that these mines did not perform the safety standard, and therefore had some problems in their operation.

Meanwhile, China's mine inspection work was still insufficient,he said, expressing his hope that in order to solve this problem, the United States and China should make cooperation in such fieldsas carrying out training on the mine inspectors, who can help the mine operators and miners to learn about the importance of safety.

China will send 14 mine inspectors to accept such training in the United States in October this year, he said, noting that when these inspectors returned to China, they can train more inspectors.

The official accompanied with the US Secretary of Labor Elaine Lan Chao during her China tour from June 21 to 24, and continued to stay here for further exchanges with the Chinese officials after Chao returned to the United States.

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United States Mine Rescue Association
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#1442

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Sat Jul 3, 2004 3:46 am
Subject: Japan is urged to pay forced laborers

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Japan is urged to pay forced laborers

July 2, 2004

A group of 41 Chinese surviving laborers and family members yesterday demanded the Japanese government apologize and compensate victims of torture during World War II.

A petition endorsed by nearly 80,000 Chinese called on the Japanese government to conduct a thorough investigation of that time.

Japan abducted 986 Chinese and forced them to work in a mine in northern Akita Prefecture at the end of the war.

Torture, hunger and disease killed 418.

The survivors are now in their 70s and 80s.

Li Tiechui, 83, said at a press conference, "We were fed like pigs and dogs.

After being captured we were punished and made to kneel on a square for three days without food or water.''

Yang Lianzhu, 70, sobbed, "Nearly half of the laborers in the mine died. It really was an atrocity." His father was one of the victims.

In 2000, 11 Chinese reached an agreement with Kajima Corp following a five-year lawsuit.

The company apologized and offered 500 million yen in compensation for the 986 people.

But the Japanese government has been refusing their claims.

Yang said, "The Japanese government should treat history appropriately."

Liu Qian was a 22-year-old farmer in northern China when he was taken from his homeland in 1944 and made to work without pay for 19 months.

Sixty years on, he's still waiting for Japan's government and Mitsui Mining Co, one of the country's biggest natural resource companies, to apologize and pay compensation for using him as a forced laborer.

Liu, wiping away tears, said the harshest experience he had to endure was in April 1945 when a Japanese overseer cut his right leg with an axe.

"I'm just lucky to be alive."

Liu was dealt a setback in May when the Fukuoka High Court reversed a 2002 district court ruling that had ordered Mitsui to pay compensation to Liu and 14 other Chinese forced laborers.

Too much time had passed for the plaintiffs to seek compensation, the high court said.

But they are continuing their fight and filed an appeal with Japan's Supreme Court on June 4.

___________________________________________________________
United States Mine Rescue Association
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#1443

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Sat Jul 3, 2004 9:18 am
Subject: Mine inspector too sick to work, too healthy for benefits

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Mine inspector too sick to work, too healthy for benefits
Associated Press
Last update: 03 July 2004

GRUNDY, Va. -- Donald Shortridge knows what's coming. His weak lungs, pocked with scars, mean only one thing for a man who's spent 24 years inspecting coal mines.

Shortridge, 52, has black lung disease. The former Mine Safety and Health Administration inspector is now bracing himself for the coughing spells, the chest pains, the lung failure he's seen old miners suffer.

The real surprise, Shortridge said, was the financial stress that comes with the disease. Almost a year after applying for federal occupational illness benefits, Shortridge still doesn't know what kind of compensation he'll get.

"It just ain't fair," Shortridge said. "To me, there should be some changes made, where they take care of people who've worked for them for 20-some years."

He's not the only inspector to suffer from the same lung-wasting condition he worked to eliminate.

In the past 30 years, 171 coal mine inspectors filed claims with the federal Office for Workers' Compensation Programs citing health problems related to black lung or other respiratory ailments, according to the Labor Department. Inspectors have a few choices for compensation, but most seek the lucrative benefits under the Federal Employment Compensation Act.

FECA, which can pay as much as 75 percent of their annual salaries tax-free, usually requires inspectors to prove that their lungs didn't deteriorate from smoking or some other hazard outside the coal mine. This can be a tough standard to meet, said Dr. Edward L. Petsonk, a physician with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

While tobacco smoke and coal dust damage the lungs in slightly different ways, "we don't have the knowledge base to totally determine what would have happened if the coal miner never smoked or never mined coal," Petsonk said.

According to the Labor Department, slightly more than half of the inspectors who claimed to be suffering from black lung successfully proved their case. Fewer still -- the department doesn't keep an exact count -- are deemed "totally disabled" and granted the 75 percent benefit.

Charles Burke, 57, a former MSHA inspector in Prestonsburg, Ky., said the workers' compensation office never accepted his doctor's diagnosis of black lung disease. When his right lung stopped working, the Vietnam War veteran used his veterans' benefits to pay for a lung transplant.

"You can't get nothing, so you just give up," Burke said.

When Shortridge was diagnosed with black lung disease in 1998, an MSHA doctor said he was still healthy enough to go back into the mines. He continued to work alongside coal miners even though his chest X-rays started to get cloudy with scars.

Last August, workers' compensation officials agreed that his lung condition was due to his work as a federal inspector. Shortridge was told to go home without pay and without worker's compensation because the agency doctor said in a report that he "failed to show any ratable pulmonary impairment."

After Shortridge appealed, the agency gave him a choice: accept a "light duty" clerical assignment 600 miles away in Missouri or retire.

"I'm not going to take it," Shortridge said as his deadline passed. "My whole family is here."

Shortridge asked that the Labor Department reconsider because he has an 8-year-old foster child who cannot be moved out of state.

Betty West-Brock, a federal claims examiner, wrote back in June: "This Office would not propose that you break the law and remove a foster child from the state. However, your participation in a foster care program ... is not a valid reason for declining the suitable job offered to you."

OWCP Director Shelby Hallmark said the federal occupational illness program was never meant to be a retirement plan. "Worker's comp is to get you recovered from and taken care of while you're injured but also to get you back to work," he said.

Hugh Smith, an MSHA employees union representative who helped Shortridge, agrees. "Look, I wouldn't want to have to go through that, but I'll tell you what: the real world is, you could not buy insurance that would do as much.

"But just because you claim something doesn't mean you'll get it," Smith said.

Black lung disease, which is formally known as coal workers' pneumoconiosis, develops from inhaled coal dust. The lung tries to clean out the dust by secreting chemicals that dissolve it. But if enough dust gets in, the chemicals inflame and scar the lung tissue.

"When those scars come together, the lung just sort of collapses into a ball of scar tissue that can be the size of an orange or even larger," Petsonk said. "There's no air in those areas of scar tissue. You can't breathe, and all the blood vessels get blocked up, so your heart can't pump through."

Cases of coal worker's pneumoconiosis have declined dramatically since the 1970s, resulting in about 1,400 deaths per year in the 1990s, according to the National Institute for Occuaptional Safety and Health. But it remains a major issue in Appalachian coal towns.

Shortridge spent so much of his life in the mines that he keeps his walls painted paper white.

"I don't want to be in the dark when I get home," he said. "To me, it's a pleasure to see light."

He was a coal miner for a dozen years before joining MSHA, crawling around in some crevices so dark and narrow that Shortridge had to turn his head sideways to keep his helmet from smacking the ceiling.

With his fight for worker's compensation over, Shortridge has filed for a disability retirement with the Office of Personnel Management, which could get him at least a pension worth nearly half of his former annual salary of $76,000.

"I'll just have to wait," Shortridge said. "This has been terribly stressful."

___________________________________________________________
United States Mine Rescue Association
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#1444

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Sun Jul 4, 2004 3:57 am
Subject: Union fears for workers' lives

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Union fears for workers' lives

July 4, 2004

THE Mine Workers Union of Fiji wants relevant authorities to ensure the safety of the 1500 miners who work underground as Tavua experienced more than 100 tremors in the last few days.

Union general secretary Satish Chandra said the Labour Ministry and executives of Emperor Gold Mining Company Limited should sign an undertaking for the safety of workers.

He said if the authorities could not ensure the safety of the workers they should stop work until the tremors stopped.

Mr Chandra said the Government should not wait for a disaster to happen under the disguise of 'monitoring' the situation.

The Department of Mineral Resources is yet to give a detailed report on the tremors as data from its seismograph in Vatukoula has not been downloaded.

Assistant Seismologist Nilesh Kumar said the tremors were decreasing since it began more than a week ago.

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#1445

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Wed Jul 7, 2004 10:12 am
Subject: National Competition Draws Teams from Around the Country

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7/6/2004 5:25:00 PM

To: National Desk, Labor Reporter

Contact: Suzy Bohnert of U.S. Department of Labor, 202-693-9420; http://www.dol.gov

WASHINGTON, July 6 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Mine rescue teams may be tapped to battle mine fires, contain underground floods, and rescue their colleagues trapped beneath layers of rock or disoriented by toxic gas. They undergo rigorous training to develop skills they hope they'll never use. From July 13-15, those skills will be put to the test during the 2004 National Metal and Nonmetal Mine Rescue Contest at the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority in Reno, Nev. The competition, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), will feature nearly 30 mine rescue teams from around the country.

"Mine rescue contests provide an opportunity to develop and hone the specialized skills of mine rescue teams and their members," said Dave D. Lauriski, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health. "We conduct these contests to ensure rescue teams are well prepared if they are called upon to assist fellow miners in danger during a real mine emergency."

The contest consists of several events. In the field competition, six-member teams must solve a hypothetical mine emergency problem while judges rate them on how well they adhere to mine rescue procedures and how quickly they complete specific tasks. In the benchman contests, individuals who maintain rescue equipment must thoroughly inspect breathing devices and gas equipment, and correct all defects as quickly as possible. In the first aid contest, emergency medical technicians tackle real-life scenarios.

"I am continually awed by the commitment that mine rescue team members make to their profession and to the well-being of fellow miners," added Lauriski. "Mine rescuers unselfishly put their lives on the line to assist colleagues in distress. That effort is greatly appreciated."

Participating teams are required to register for the competition by mail or on July 12 at the Peppermill Hotel and Casino. The winners will be announced during a banquet at this hotel on July 15.

Mine rescue training began in the United States in 1910. The training efforts evolved into local and regional competitions leading up to the national contest, which is held every two years.

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#1446

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Wed Jul 7, 2004 10:18 am
Subject: Coal mine gas explosion kills seven miners, bodies found

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Coal mine gas explosion kills seven miners, bodies found

www.chinaview.cn

2004-07-07 10:18:33

FUYUAN, Yunnan, July 7 (Xinhuanet) -- A gas explosion in a coal mine killed seven miners and their bodies have been found at the spot in Fuyuan of southwest China's Yunnan Province.

They were found dead in a sitting position round a windpipe. Preliminary observation showed they had died of carbon monoxide poisoning, according to Cai Jianfang, chief engineer with the mine.

Xinhua got the clue of the accident from local sources and sent a reporter to cover it Tuesday in the mine, 300 kilometers away from Kunming, the provincial capital.

The gas explosion occurred last Saturday when a 40-meter-long cable caught fire, resulting in burning of the wooden frames and coal layer in the pit.

According to Cai, the coal mine immediately evacuated miners working in the pit and organized rescuers to put out the fire. Seven workers, however, were separated by flames in pit. When a narrow lane leading to the seven was dug, they were found already dead.

Rescue on miners in the pit has been completed. But rescuers still working hard to extinguish the surging flames, Cai said.

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#1447

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Wed Jul 7, 2004 10:15 am
Subject: Coal mine safety must be given priority

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Coal mine safety must be given priority

2004-07-07 06:27

China daily.com

Work safety in coal mines should be a priority, according to an article in Beijing-based Outlook magazine.

On May 18 two more coal mine accidents took place in North China's Shanxi Province, resulting in dozens of deaths.

The alarming fact is that not all tragedies happen in small illegal coal mines that do not adhere to basic safety requirements. Despite having mining permission and business licences, some State-owned coal mines may also be plagued by accidents.

For example, one of the two accidents on May 18 happened in a legal coal mine of the township, and it was the result of poor safety conditions.

Lack of enough equipment to ensure work safety is the single greatest threat to the nation's coal mines, the article points out.

Under the strong market demand for coal resources, mines should make work safety a top priority and strengthen their input into improving working conditions. The country should improve its policies about investment and taxation in this field to spur coal mine owners to stress their work safety, the article says.

Two factors have greatly contributed to the inadequacy of work safety measures.

The first is that investment to ensure work safety during periods of over-production is absent. For example, coal production capacity of Shanxi Province was 191.13 million tons in 2002 and less than 200.13 million tons in 2003. However, the province produced 240.94 million tons of coal in 2003, exceeding the actual capacity. There is huge deficit in safety funds for the over-production.

Besides over-production, investment for safety requirements of the examined productivity is also insufficient.

In Shanxi, about 70 per cent of coal mines have not used the required exploration measure, which is more advanced and secure. About 85 per cent of the mines have not adopted the standard power supply means.

Statistics show that in 2002 State-owned coal mines in China had an overall production capacity of 835 million tons. Even if some 70 million tons of new capacity was added in 2003 because of new investment and technological innovation, the scale should not surpass 895 million tons of coal. However, in 2003, 1.124 billion tons of coal was mined, with 229 million tons over quota. The shortage in the safety budget amounted to 137.4 billion yuan (US$16.6 billion).

Huge lack of investment in ensuring work safety is the main cause of accidents, according to the article.

Many factors contribute to that lack, including the country's improper policies. High taxation levied on the coal mining industry and fund-raising from the industry to build the railway network have increased the cost of mining.

Inaccurate estimates on the market requirement of coal have also led to closing some mines and rampant over-production from others.

The outdated performance assessment methodology makes some local officials pursue instant growth of output at the expense of work safety. Despite the frequent occurrence of accidents, senior officials are rarely seriously punished for dereliction of duty, notes the article.

The country also gives insufficient financial support to the coal mining industry. In 2001, only 4 billion yuan (US$482 million) was earmarked to improve work safety. Compared with the huge demand in this field, the amount was minuscular.

Some coal mine owners also pursue short-term interests but forget the importance of safety. They invest meagerly in work safety in their mines.

In 2003, the country's rate of deaths to production of every million tons of coal was 130 times that of the United States. About 4 million miners' lives are threatened by coal mine accidents. Every year, the country's GDP suffers a direct loss of 15 billion yuan (US$1.8 billion) due to coal mine accidents and about 50 billion yuan (US$6.0 billion) loss has been added due to insufficient market supply of coal resources, according to the article.

Investment should be strengthened to improve the work safety environment to minimize such loss. The country and coal mine owners should both share the investment.

The country should rethink its policies toward the coal mine industry. Strict requirements should be established for newly-opened coal mines, which should make adequate of work safety preparations. The market demand for coal should be re-estimated to leave no opportunities for over-production.

Tax rates should be decreased and fund-raising should be cancelled to let the coal mines have more funds to invest in mining safety, suggests the article.

Medium- and small-sized coal mines should be strictly checked for compliance to work safety regulations.

The government should also revise its official performance assessment measures to spur local officials to supervise the work safety of mines and abide by related policies.

If accidents take place, responsible officials should be administered harsh severely punished.

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#1448

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Thu Jul 8, 2004 4:18 pm
Subject: 6 killed in explosion in Henan

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6 killed in explosion in Henan

www.chinaview.cn 2004-07-08 15:44:36

　ZHENGZHOU, July 8 (Xinhuanet) -- Six people were killed and five severely injured in an explosion occurred at 0:20 a.m. Thursday morning in a town in central China's Henan Province, according to local police.

Xinhua learned from Zhengzhou Public Security Bureau of centralChina's Henan province that the explosion happened at five local households in Niudian Town, Xinmi City, less than 100 km away from Zhengzhou, the provincial capital.

Local police, firefighters and rescue staff with a mine rushed to the spot soon after the explosion, saving ten people.

Investigation for causes of the explosion is underway.

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#1449

From: Pat Gazewood <pat_gazewood@...>
Date: Fri Jul 9, 2004 2:08 am
Subject: U of Nevada To Train U.S. Firefighters For Terrorist Response

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U of Nevada To Train U.S. Firefighters For Terrorist Response

KIM ZASKI and ANDREA TURMAN
University of Nevada, Reno Fire Science Academy

The University of Nevada, Reno Fire Science Academy has received a U.S. Department of Energy grant to train more than 700 municipal and rural firefighters annually in industrial fire fighting techniques used to fight incidents often associated with terrorist threats. The live-fire training course will be funded by the $2.5 million federal grant, which provides full scholarships to cover tuition, travel, lodging and meals for U.S. firefighters to attend the four-day course at the Fire Science Academy (FSA) in Carlin, NV.

The U.S. Department of Energy funding was secured in part by Nevada Senator Harry Reid, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Our firefighters and emergency responders put their lives on the line to protect our communities, Reid said. We owe it to them to make sure they have the training and equipment they need.

The training course, Responding to Terrorist Incidents in Your Community: Flammable-Liquid Fire Fighting Techniques for Municipal and Rural Firefighters, will be offered throughout the year at the academy beginning in September 2004. Training is by application only and open to all U.S. firefighters 18 years and older with NFPA 1001, Firefighter Level I or equivalent and two years of practical experience. Space is limited and early application is encouraged.

Developed to provide classroom instruction and intense live-fire exercises on a fire-suppression team, the 32-hour course will include training for response to terrorist behavior, sabotage and damage to soft targets, including truck and rail terminals, pipeline transfer stations and other industrial facilities found in municipal and rural communities.

Fire fighting in such industrial situations often involves large quantities of flammable or combustible liquids and can be very different from incidents normally encountered by the municipal and rural firefighters often responsible for protecting these highly vulnerable locations, said Denise Baclawski, executive director of the Fire Science Academy. We are extremely pleased to be able to offer this critical training to so many firefighters from around the country.

The University of Nevada, Reno Fire Science Academy has trained firefighters and emergency personnel from businesses and government agencies from all 50 states and nearly 40 countries. As one of the finest emergency response-training programs and facilities in the world, the FSAs 426-acre campus in Carlin, NV, provides scheduled courses as well as customized training. The academy includes multimedia classrooms and state-of-the-art training grounds and props for industrial fire fighting, hazardous materials, aircraft, structural, mine rescue and extrication exercises. Burnable props utilize liquid petroleum fuels in real-life situations.

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#1450

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Thu Jul 8, 2004 4:59 pm
Subject: Mine Collapses In Turhal Killing A Worker

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Mine Collapses In Turhal Killing A Worker

Anadolu Agency: 7/8/2004

TURHAL, Turkey - An antimony mine collapsed in Turhal town of northern province of Tokat on Thursday killing a worker, sources said.

Sub-governor of Turhal, Sadettin Yucel told the A.A. correspondent that the reason of the collapse is not known.

A worker died in the accident while another was trapped under debris.

Efforts are underway to rescue the trapped worker.

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#1451

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Fri Jul 9, 2004 10:16 am
Subject: Continued explosions hindered rescue of miners

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Continued explosions hindered rescue of miners

www.chinaview.cn 2004-07-09 16:12:40

SHIJIAZHUANG, July 9 (Xinhuanet) -- The successive gas explosions at a coal mine in Xigou Village of Hebei Province have hindered the work to rescue the five miners trapped underground since Thursday.

It is not known whether the five miners are alive or not. Experts say there is little hope that they have survived.

A gas explosion occurred in the village coal mine at 9:00 a.m. Thursday, followed by seven more explosions between 09:50 am to 10:05 p.m. As there exists the possibility of more explosions, it isn't possible for rescue workers to go underground.

Leading officials of Hebei Province and experts are discussing more channels for the rescue effort.

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#1452

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Fri Jul 9, 2004 8:55 pm
Subject: Barrick Takes a Pass on Ivanhoe's Mongolia Project

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Barrick Takes a Pass on Ivanhoe's Mongolia Project

June 9, 2004

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - Barrick Gold Corp. has decided against any involvement with Ivanhoe Ltd. on its Oyu Tolgoi project, the world's No. 3 gold producer said on Friday after completing a review of the gold and copper deposit in Mongolia.

"We've determined that we are not proceeding any further with it at all," said Barrick spokesman Vince Borg. "We've concluded that the deposit doesn't fit our investment criteria," he said, declining to elaborate.

Barrick said in May that it was taking up Ivanhoe's invitation to review the site, which its owner describes as one of the world's largest undeveloped gold and copper deposits.

Up to a 50 percent stake in the project is expected to be sold, with a large miner, a smelter, a trading house or a combination of the three regarded as possible suitors.

Oyu Tolgoi's size, current high copper and gold prices, a shortage of big mineral finds and potent marketing by Ivanhoe, an exploration firm, have resulted in the project gaining wide publicity.

Market interest was also piqued by Ivanhoe's statement that it had signed 16 confidentiality agreements with international mining companies that had approached it over the find.

Barrick's decision to take a pass on the project follows denials of interest from several of the world's biggest gold and base metals producers. These include world No. 1 and 5 gold producers, Newmont Mining Co. and Placer Dome Inc., as well Rio Tinto Plc., the world's second largest diversified mining house.

Large copper producers, Grupo Mexico and Canada's Noranda Inc. have also said they are not pursuing the project, although Ivanhoe revealed recently that Noranda had last year wanted a 40 percent stake in the find but that Ivanhoe had rejected the deal.

Canada's Teck Cominco Ltd., the world's biggest zinc producer, as well as a miner of copper and gold, has said it is examining the project.

Various stages of drilling indicates that the deposit could contain more than 30 billion pounds of copper and more than 15 million ounces of gold.

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#1453

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Fri Jul 9, 2004 10:15 pm
Subject: One dead, one critical in sewer accident

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One dead, one critical in sewer accident

Associated Press

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. - Two workers testing a new underground sewer line were knocked unconscious, one of them fatally.

The men were found unconscious Friday morning in a 10-foot manhole with very low oxygen levels, police said. Investigators were trying to learn if they were also exposed to any harmful gases, said Patrolman Joseph Alonso of the Newtown Square Police Department.

Larry Dunning, 60, of Barton, was pronounced dead at Riddle Memorial Hospital, police said. Robert Hampton, 43, of Leesport, remained on life support Friday afternoon at Bryn Mawr Hospital, Alonso said.

"You hear about this in a coal mine. It's very rare you hear about it in a sewer system," Alonso said.

The accident occurred at Springton Woods, a housing development under construction in Newtown Square, a Philadelphia suburb.

The men worked for the Rittenbaugh Inc., a contractor hired by the local sewer authority, he said. The company did not immediately return a telephone message.

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#1454

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Mon Jul 12, 2004 5:48 am
Subject: USA: Skills shortage looms for mining

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Skills shortage looms for mining

International Longwall News

July 12, 2004

A RAPIDLY aging workforce in American mines threatens the industry with shortages of highly-skilled workers. At the same time, global demand for coal and minerals is booming.

Bruce Watzman, Vice President for Safety, Health and Human Resources at the National Mining Association (NMA), told members of a US Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources that imaginative new partnerships between government and industry will be necessary to help supply skilled workers to an industry transformed by technology and mechanization.

"Just as the demand for mining workers appears poised for expansion, the capability to provide new mining professions has significantly deteriorated through downsizing and disappearance of university degree and other programs offering this very specialized education," said Watzman. Since 1985, he said, ten mining departments in US academic institutions have ceased operation and two others are tentatively scheduled to close their doors later this year.

A lackluster economy and government policies that have curbed new mining investment have contributed to the problem, said Watzman. By limiting employment opportunities, both factors have discouraged prospective students from considering mining as a career. These difficulties have been exacerbated by the growing sophistication in mining equipment, operations and management that require, more than ever before, a highly skilled workforce in underground and surface mines.

Watzman urged Congress to broaden research for mining institutions that train the next generation of engineers, ensure that research funding is long-term as well as adequate to maintain academic programs, and finally acknowledge the strategic importance of a sustainable mining industry to the health of the U.S. manufacturing economy.

"The challenge now is to attract and retrain a skilled workforce appropriate to a resurgent industry," he said.

In Australia this same issue is high on the agenda of mining houses and industry bodies.

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#1455

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Sat Jul 10, 2004 10:15 am
Subject: Mine fire causes $11m damage

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Mine fire causes $11m damage

10 July 2004

AN $11 million piece of mining machinery has been destroyed after it caught fire in an open cut mine in Western Australian Goldfields early today.

The fire in Kalgoorlie-Boulder in began about 3am (WST) when the "shovel" caught fire at the bottom of the 300 metre deep "Super Pit" open mine, owned by Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines.

WA Fire and Emergency Services Authority fire fighter Jimmy Mackintosh was at the mine site on Black Street and said the shovel was completely engulfed when his crew arrived.

"The shovel is about 14 times the size of a backhoe and is basically used to dig up the ... ore," he said.

"She was completely engulfed when we arrived and there wasn't much we could do."

Mr Mackintosh said no one was hurt in the blaze and that the machine's operator had managed to escape down the ladder when the fire broke out.

It is believed an electrical fault in its engine caused the blaze, which was brought under control around 5am (WST).

Meanwhile, a fire, believed to have started from an electrical fault in a ceiling fan, has destroyed a duplex unit in the Kimberley town of Derby.

A fire spokesman said the blaze broke out about 6.30pm (WST) yesterday at the Archer Street residence causing $200,000 worth of damage.

In South Perth, a fire in a home unit on Douglas Street caused $40,000 in damage.

There were no reports of injuries at any of the fires.

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#1456

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Mon Jul 12, 2004 5:07 pm
Subject: Explosion at Chinese iron mine releases poisonous gas, killing 11

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Explosion at Chinese iron mine releases poison gas, killing 11

July 12, 2004

BEIJING (AP) - A dynamite blast at an iron mine in northern China released poisonous gas that killed 11 miners, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Monday.

The explosion Saturday at the privately run Gangbao Iron Mine in Linfen, a city in Shanxi province, filled underground mine shafts with toxic gas, the agency said. Ten miners who were trapped underground were confirmed Monday to have died from suffocation, the report said. The body of another miner had been found on the day of the explosion. One miner was rescued, it added. An investigation was underway.

Each year, thousands of Chinese miners are killed in fires, cave-ins, floods and other accidents. The government has vowed to punish mine owners who flout safety rules and local officials who fail to enforce them.

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#1457

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Mon Jul 12, 2004 4:38 pm
Subject: Stay out of quarry lakes

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Stay out of quarry lakes

Monday, July 12, 2004

The tragedy of Jeremy Schell, as described in the York Daily Record's June 30 story, "Warning of quarry's dangers," is just one terrible example of the dangers that Pennsylvania's abandoned mines and quarries pose. DEP commends his mother, Robin Schell, to warn young people to stay away from abandoned, water-filled quarries like the Funkhouser Quarry, where Jeremy and several others have lost their lives in recent years.

Water-filled pits, perilous high walls and open mine entries tempt the curious to test their luck on unpredictable or unstable ground. Each year, several Pennsylvanians are among dozens of people killed or injured on these sites throughout the country. In 2003 alone, 28 people died nationally, including three here. Despite these grim statistics, people still venture into harm's way.

Victims drown in abandoned water-filled pits where water temperatures drop dramatically just below the surface. ATV riders break through brush on the crest of an old mine site and roll down a hillside. People enter abandoned mine entries or surface structures and get lost or trapped in dangerous mine voids.

All of these accidents are tragedies that could have been avoided. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection continues to partner with the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration, other states and the mining industry to promote "Stay Out, Stay Alive."

The goal of this effort is to inform the public, particularly young people, about the dangers of abandoned and active mines. DEP visits schools and community groups to discuss the environmental and public health hazards. The best way to prevent future tragedies is to make people understand that abandoned mines and quarries are not playgrounds.

As vital as these educational efforts are, success depends on Pennsylvanians taking the message to heart: Stay out and stay alive.

J. SCOTT ROBERTS, DEPUTY SECRETARY
DEP OFFICE OF MINERAL RESOURCES
MANAGEMENT

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#1458

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Mon Jul 12, 2004 8:07 pm
Subject: Congo mine collapse kills at least 9

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Congo mine collapse kills at least 9

12 Jul 2004 17:52:27 GMT

KINSHASA, July 12 (Reuters) - A Congolese mine that provided uranium for the first atomic bombs has collapsed, killing at least nine miners, officials and rescue workers said on Monday.

The Shinkolobwe mine was abandoned after the end of World War Two by the Belgians, then colonial masters of the Congo, but thousands of illegal miners still descend makeshift shafts in search of valuable copper and cobalt compounds.

"These people were ... miners who were digging when the collapse happened," said Petwe Kapande, mayor of the nearby town of Likasi in the southeast part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Nine bodies had been recovered and nine people had been pulled out alive since the partial collapse on Friday, a miner helping with the rescue effort said.

"There are at least 30 people still underground and I don't think there is any hope for them," he told Reuters by telephone.

"We are still pulling bodies out. It is only through the will of God that the three people we rescued today are alive."

Shinkolobwe, one of Congo's largest and oldest mines, provided the uranium for the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States in 1945.

Its main mineshaft was filled with concrete after World War Two when the United States lobbied to have a potential security threat removed.

The miners who quarry the site dig up compounds which are in high demand on the world market and sell them to Indian, Pakistani, Chinese and South Korean smelter operators, local residents said.

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#1459

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Tue Jul 13, 2004 10:18 am
Subject: Mining conference in town this week

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Mining conference in town this week

RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL

Teams compete in Reno this week as part of the National Metal and Nonmetal Mine Rescue Contest, bringing competitors from across the country.

The U.S. Department of Labor�s Mine Safety and Health Administration is having a conference at the Peppermill Hotel-Casino and Reno-Sparks Convention Center, and tourism officials estimate attendance at 900.

The contest is Tuesday through Thursday, for which nearly 30 teams have signed up.

In the field competition, six-member teams must solve a hypothetical mine emergency problem while judges rate them on how well they adhere to mine rescue procedures and how quickly they complete specific tasks.

In the benchman contests, individuals who maintain rescue equipment must inspect breathing devices and gas equipment thoroughly, and correct all defects as quickly as possible. In the first-aid contest, emergency medical technicians tackle real-life scenarios.

�Mine rescue contests provide an opportunity to develop and hone the specialized skills of mine rescue teams and their members,� Dave D. Lauriski, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health, said in a statement. �We conduct these contests to ensure rescue teams are well prepared if they are called upon to assist fellow miners in danger during a real mine emergency.�

Nevada is the third-largest producer of gold behind South Africa and Australia.

___________________________________________________________
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#1460

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Thu Jul 15, 2004 5:30 pm
Subject: Explosives cause 27 deaths in China

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Explosives cause 27 deaths in China

Last Updated Thu, 15 Jul 2004 06:56:09 EDT

BEIJING - At least 27 people have died in China after two separate accidents involving explosives.

A cache of homemade explosives blew up in a village in northern China killing 16 people and knocking down more than a dozen homes. Another eight people were also injured.

News reports say the explosion was traced to the home workshop of a villager who made and stored explosives. The family living in the home also died.

China has a large cottage industry producing fireworks and explosives in homes for mining and construction.

In another incident, a dynamite blast at an iron mine, also in the north, released poisonous gas that killed 11 miners.

The explosions occurred on Saturday at a privately run mine. Ten miners were trapped underground and died from suffocation. Their bodies were recovered this week. One miner was rescued.

Authorities are investigating the deaths.

The government has vowed to punish mine owners who flout safety rules and local officials who fail to enforce them.

___________________________________________________________
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#1461

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Fri Jul 16, 2004 10:11 am
Subject: Director named for new mine safety agency

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Posted on Fri, Jul. 16, 2004

Director named for new mine safety agency

PIKEVILLE MAN WAS MANAGEMENT MEMBER ON STATE MINING BOARD

EASTERN KENTUCKY BUREAU

PIKEVILLE - An Eastern Kentucky man who represented management on the Kentucky Mining Board has been appointed to head a new state agency carved out of the old Department of Mines and Minerals.

Paris L. Charles of Pikeville began work Monday as executive director of the Office of Mine Safety and Licensing in Frankfort.

"I think he'll do a great job," said Kenneth Fee of Frankfort, a former Harlan County miner who is chairman of the mining board.

Charles, who was appointed to the mining board in 2001 by former Gov. Paul Patton, could not be reached for comment. Unlike the defunct Mines and Minerals agency, the Office of Mine Safety will not oversee state oil and gas operations, which have become a separate division of the Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet, spokesman Mark York said.

Charles began working for coal companies in 1976, a cabinet press release said. He was superintendent of Koch Carbon Industries in Floyd County and a safety official for Costain Coal Inc. and Lodestar Energy in Pike County.

Charles recently has been working for Kentucky Employers' Mutual Insurance, analyzing safety programs, the release said.

Charles pledged to "eliminate unsafe work habits through strong enforcement activities" and other means, the news release said.

Cabinet secretary LaJuana Wilcher said the agency was "counting on Paris Charles and his decades of experience" to improve mine safety.

Fee will appoint a replacement for Charles on the Kentucky Mining Board.

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#1462

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Fri Jul 16, 2004 10:08 am
Subject: Rescue continues after Guizhou coal mine blast

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Rescue continues after Guizhou coal mine blast

www.chinaview.cn 2004-07-16 15:34:01

GUIYANG, July 16 (Xinhuanet) -- Rescue work drags on for 16 missing miners following an explosion at a coal mine of southwest China's Guizhou province.

The gas explosion happened at 4:00 p.m. Wednesday afternoon when 19 miners were working in Maolong coal mine of Tongzi county.

The accident killed three people, leaving another 16 missing, according to sources with the local mine safety bureau.

The sources noted that the blast caused a collapse in a section of more than 100 meters of a 430-meter tunnel. It would take two to three days for the rescuers to clear the way, they said.

Financial compensation is being arranged for the families of the three dead miners, the sources added.

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#1463

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Thu Jul 15, 2004 5:25 pm
Subject: Heavy rains, cave-ins hinder efforts to rescue 11 trapped miners in C. China

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Heavy rains, cave-ins hinder efforts to rescue 11 trapped miners in C. China

www.chinaview.cn 2004-07-15 23:35:00

WUHAN, July 15 (Xinhuanet) -- Continuous heavy rains and cave-in caused by the rain hampered the efforts to search for 11 miners who had been trapped for 30 days in a copper mine in Yangxin County of Hubei Province, rescuers said Thursday.

On June 16, the copper mine under the Pengling Mining Group Company in Baisha Town, Yangxin County, was suddenly flooded, trapping 11 miners working 345 meters underground.

The high water level in the shaft was the major factor that blocked rescue efforts, said Ke Meiyin, an official with Yangxin County People's Congress.

As Hubei has entered the rainy season since mid-June, heavy rainand rainstorms have time and again hit the area where the flooded copper mine is located, causing the surface water to spread through the flooded mine, hindering the rescue work.

Pumps have been working round the clock to pump out water from the copper mine, but the water level in the shaft had just dropped from 18 meters under the surface to about 100 meter beneath, still more than 200 meters from the site where the miners are trapped, Ke said.

Moreover, continuous rains and the high water level in the shaft led to cave-ins in the major and slant shafts of the copper mine, adding difficulties to the rescue efforts, the official said.

However, Ke said, "We'll keep trying our best to rescue the trapped miners.

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#1464

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Sat Jul 17, 2004 6:21 am
Subject: Five miners who escaped Quecreek accident sue mining owners, operators

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Posted on Sat, Jul. 17, 2004

Five miners who escaped Quecreek accident sue mining owners, operators

Associated Press

SOMERSET, Pa. - Five miners who narrowly escaped a mine accident two years ago that trapped nine others hundreds of feet below the earth for three days have sued the mine's owners and operators, alleging they knew or should have known the danger the miners were in.

The lawsuit was filed July 7 in Allegheny County Court on behalf of miners Barry Carlson, Douglas Custer, David Petree, Ryan Petree and Lawrence Summerville and their wives, the Daily American newspaper in Somerset, Pa., reported Saturday.

The five miners allege that they suffered from post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression and shock and have spent money on medical care. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.

The miners were part of a nine-man crew that escaped as icy water surged into the Quecreek Mine, 70 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, on July 24, 2002, after they were warned by another nine-man crew deeper in the mine.

The lawsuit mirrors suits filed last year by seven of the nine miners who were trapped, naming similar defendants and, in portions, using the same wording.

Among the defendants are PBS Coals Inc., which owns the Quecreek Mine; its subsidiary, Quecreek Mining Co.; Musser Engineering Inc., which helped prepare the mine maps in support for the company's state permit;, and six other companies or individuals involved in the mine or the permitting process.

Vincent J. Barbera, an attorney for PBS Coals, declined comment on the lawsuit, saying the company hadn't received a copy.

"The lawsuit has not been served, so we really can't comment except to express disappointment that people would continue with further litigation," Barbera said.

The five miners' attorney, Sayde J. Ladov, was out of town Friday night and unavailable for comment, and numbers for the miners could not immediately be located.

Workers' compensation rules bar the miners' employer, Black Wolf Coal Co., which contracted to mine Quecreek, from being sued.

The nine miners thought they were still some 300 feet away from the abandoned Saxman Mine when they breached it, releasing some 50 million gallons of water that trapped them underground.

The drama of the men's rescue unfolded as crews drilled holes to where they believed the men would be waiting in a four-foot-high chamber in the highest section of the mine, assuming they had survived the breach - something the crews did not know until their rescue hole reached the men.

After the rescue, investigators focused on the accuracy of mine maps submitted by Quecreek coal operators in the late 1990s to get a state permit to mine in the area. Those maps showed the old, adjacent Saxman Mine, which was known to be flooded, 300 feet away from the area where Quecreek miners planned to dig.

State and federal agencies that investigated the accident concluded that the mine flooded because no available maps detailed the full extent of previous mining done in the Saxman Mine.

A 1963 map of the adjacent mine discovered at a coal museum depicted more extensive mining than any other map known to exist. The map, which was marked final, was never certified or filed with the state.

A Pennsylvania grand jury in September found inadequate evidence to support reckless conduct in the accident. The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration, however, levied fines of $5,000 against PBS Coals and Musser Engineering and fined Black Wolf Coal $4,100.

___________________________________________________________
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#1465

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Sat Jul 17, 2004 6:32 am
Subject: New Mexico team wins mine rescue contest

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Friday, Jul 16, 2004

New Mexico team wins mine rescue contest

RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
7/15/2004 10:26 pm

The Washington TRU-Solutions, WIPP Silver team from New Mexico took overall champion honors at the Metal and Nonmetal National Mine Rescue Contest awards banquet Thursday at the Peppermill Hotel-Casino in south Reno.

The banquet ended three days of competition where 29 mine rescue teams from eleven states tested their skills in first-aid, field, gas and benchman contests.

More than 800 attendees participated in the contest at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Mine Safety and Health Administration said Eddie Lopez, the event�s co-director.

�This is one of the better competitions at nationals in a long time because of the expertise included in creating the (field) problem,� said Dave Buller, alternate for the OCi Wyoming white team. �They�ve created a good environment.�

None of the five Nevada teams made it to the finals of the field competition, but they enjoyed the experience.

�As far as what we learned, it went well,� said Tom Senecal, member of the Newmont Eastern Nevada Operations team from Elko. �We pick up more information every time we come here.�

The banquet also honored two Barrick Goldstrike mine rescue team members who died in Oct. 2002 when performing training exercises in a non-operating mine near Elko.

The Dale R. Spring and Theodore C. Milligan award for the Best �All Around� Mine Rescue Team will be given in the men�s honor at all future national contests, said contest co-director John Radomsky.

Mine rescue teams are called into emergency situations including mine explosions or fires. Almost all team members have other occupations within their companies but give up personal time to train for the team.

Although the goal is to win, all participants have an unspoken bond with each other, said Henry Charpentier, captain and trainer of the Morton Salt Co. team from Louisiana.

�If one of the teams was to ever need us, we would be there and the other way around if we ever needed them,� Charpentier said. �We cheer each other on. It�s like a brotherhood, kind of like we were born to be our brother�s keeper in this aspect.�

The winners include:

Overall champion: Washington TRU-Solutions, WIPP Silver of New Mexico

Field competition: OCi Wyoming L.P., OCi White of Wyoming; Washington TRU-Solutions, WIPP Silver of New Mexico; Morton Salt Company, Blue Team of Louisiana; OCi Wyoming L.P., OCi Blue of Wyoming; General Chemical Soda Ash Partners, General Chemical Blue of Wyoming; General Chemical Soda Ash Partners, General Chemical Black of Wyoming.

First aid: General Chemical Soda Ash Partners, General Chemical Blue of Wyoming; Barrick Goldstrike Mines Inc., Barrick Gold of Nevada; IMC Potash, Responders of New Mexico; Washington TRU-Solutions, WIPP Blue of New Mexico; Intrepid Mining NM LLC, Intrepid Mine Rescue of New Mexico and Solvay Chemical Inc., Solvay Silver Team of Wyoming.

Benchman BG-4: Maclane Barton, Lafarge North America of Missouri; Curtis Sanders, Washington TRU-Solutions (silver) of New Mexico; Robert Robison, FMC Corp. (white) of Wyoming; Scott Brown, Solvay Chemical Inc. (silver) of Wyoming and Rod Knight, FMC Corp. (red) of Wyoming.

Benchman BG-174A: Garry Moore Jr., The Doe Run Co. (gray) of Missouri; Rickey Martin, The Doe Run Co. (maroon) of Missouri and Walt Bryant Jr., Morton Salt of Texas.

Benchman BioPak: Rod Christensen, Barrick Goldstrike Mines Inc. of Nevada and Tom Senecal, Newmont Mining Corp. of Nevada.

Multi-gas instrument: Rick Owens, FMC Corp. (red) of Wyoming; Wade Broussard, Cargill Deicing Technology of Ohio; Bill Mehle, OCi Wyoming L.P. (blue) of Wyoming; Geoff Parker, Hecla Mining Co. of Idaho; Greg Sensibaugh, Washington TRU-Solutions (silver) of New Mexico; Mike Pond, OCi Wyoming L.P., (white) of Wyoming.

___________________________________________________________
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#1466

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Sat Jul 17, 2004 6:35 am
Subject: Teamwork key in mine rescue competition

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Friday, Jul 16, 2004

Teamwork key in mine rescue competition

RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL

Bill Mehle of the OCi Wyoming Blue Team didn�t feel much pressure at the gas competition as he analyzed and fixed the gauges measuring the amount of four different gases in the atmosphere.

In fact, after Mehle�s 30-minute test, he was all smiles and ready to compete in today�s team field contest finals. Although Mehle�s goal is to place well in his category, he just enjoys being able to compete.

�I�m coming here to learn,� Mehle said. �Each year I come in to learn and maybe I get a little bit closer to getting the trophy. My team knows I�m just trying to learn the most I can.�

The three-day Metal and Nonmetal National Mine Rescue Contest at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center has 29 teams from across the nation competing in simulated emergency situations, testing their skills in the field, gas, benchman and first aid areas. The top 12 teams from the first two days compete in the finals today.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Mine Safety and Health Administration, the competition takes place every two years. This is the second time the event has been in Reno.

About 500 attendees are estimated at the contest, said Jim Petrie, district manager of the MSHA Northeastern district office.

Individuals fix and stabilize breathing apparatuses in the benchman competition.

Tom Senecal was the benchman competitor for the Newmont Eastern Operations team after nine years of experience with the devices. He had 30 minutes to test and fix any problems with the breathing tanks, vital for mine rescue team safety.

�Before we go into a mine, we have to check this device,� Senecal said. �My team took turns putting bugs in the machine last night, so I would be ready to repair anything.�

In the first-aid contests, a three-man team is tested at three stations: CPR, patient assessment and wounds, burns and transportation. The team has 20 minutes to aid the �victim� at each station.

�All our personnel has to have first-aid training,� said Joel Karasik of the Bechtel SAIC Yucca Mountain team. �We�re working in an underground environment a lot and we have to know how to save people�s lives.�

Also, the field competition tests six-man teams on their ability to search and map a mine.

Each team starts at a score of zero. For each contest, deductions are based on inaccurate procedures and time limits. The team and individuals with the least number of deductions will win their category and overall competition.

�We do this because it keeps our teams ready in an emergency situation,� said Dave D. Lauriski, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health. �We hope our teams are never called to do this in real life, but if they do, we want to make sure they are prepared.�

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#1467

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Sat Jul 17, 2004 6:39 am
Subject: Mining event creates competition, teamwork

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Mining event creates competition, teamwork

RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
7/13/2004 10:34 pm

Nearly 30 mine rescue teams from across the nation tested their skills at Tuesday�s 2004 National Metal and Nonmetal Rescue Contest at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor�s Mine Safety and Health Administration, the three-day competition allows teams to practice solving emergency situations in a competitive atmosphere.

�It�s a good experience,� said Steve Roberts of the General Chemical mine rescue team from Wyoming. �We like coming here to compete and we learn from different teams about their procedures and what they do. It�s fun.�

Five Nevada teams are competing: Barrick Goldstrike Mine, Newmont Eastern Nevada Operations and two from Queenstake Resources Ltd., all of Elko, along with Bechtel SAIC Co. from Las Vegas.

One category is the field competition, where six-man rescue teams must solve a mine emergency problem. Teams have 21/2 hours to extinguish or seal any fires, account for missing miners, and explore and map the mine.

Red curtains and metal poles simulate a Roman pillar mine. Signs on the floor signal a drop in oxygen levels or other barriers. Judges grade the teams on their procedures and quickness.

Victor Harrell, Newmont�s team trainer and health/safety representative, said teamwork is vital in rescue situations.

�If you�re not going to work as a team, you might as well not be here,� Harrell said. �Everybody is learning as a team, working together as a team.�

Two other contests are first aid and benchman: For benchman, individuals must inspect breathing devices and gas equipment in a timed environment. In the first-aid competition, teams will be judged on their response to a medical scenario.

The top 12 teams will compete in the finals. The winners will be announced at Thursday night�s awards banquet at the Peppermill Hotel-Casino in south Reno.

Although each team is vying for first place, that doesn�t spoil the camaraderie.

�It�s a tight-knit group,� Harrell said. �If any team forgets something, another team would give it to them. We�d give them the shirt off our backs if we had to.�

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#1468

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Sat Jul 17, 2004 6:21 pm
Subject: Officials punished over coal mine explosion in N. China

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Officials punished over coal mine explosion in N. China

www.chinaview.cn 2004-07-17 20:23:34

SHIJIAZHUANG, July 17 (Xinhuanet) -- Officials responsible for a severe coal mine gas explosion that killed 20 last year in north China's Hebei Province have received punishments by the State Administration of Production Safety.

The accident on Dec. 7 at Longtai coal mine in Weixian County resulted in the death of 20 people and a direct economic loss of 1.70 million yuan (205,000 US dollars) in 2003.

The investigation team confirmed that the accident occurred due to dereliction of duty. The coal mine was insufficiently equipped with ventilation facilities and the major ventilation facilities were powered off when the accident occurred.

Some miners paid less attention to underground safety and removed the shades from their headlights, which kindled the gas in the mine.

Zhang Wenzhi, director of Longtai Coal Mine, was dismissed from the Party and handed over to the judicial departments to receive criminal penalty. Zhao Jun, general manager of the coal mine, and Ge Yongjie, safety inspector stationed at the coal mine from Weixian County, were also handed over to the judicial departments.

Others accused of dereliction of duty in the accident were also punished.

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#1469

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Sat Jul 17, 2004 8:05 pm
Subject: Coal mines looking for younger, educated miners

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Coal mines looking for younger, educated miners
July 17, 2004

Cameron, West Virginia-AP -- Technological advances have been necessary to streamline production in higher-yield longwall mines or to get continuous miners into the thinner seams of southern West Virginia and eastern Kentucky.

Out of the 640 people working in the McElroy coal mine in Cameron, West Virginia, Superintendent Thomas Coram says he especially relies on a core group of about a dozen employees who he says are "the highest tech in the business."

Coram says finding new employees willing to endure the challenges of an underground environment is proving difficult.

Bruce Watzman of the National Mining Association says ten mining departments have stopped offering degrees since 1985. And he says another two might shut down later this year. Watzman says the timing of those moves is unfortunate, since the demand for mining workers is high.

Ironically, the degree programs folded in part because a series of coal mine closures in the 1980s and 1990s created an abundant pool of laid-off miners who eagerly filled vacant positions.

Tom Hoffman is a spokesman for Pittsburgh-based Consol Energy, owners of the McElroy mine.

Hoffman says with the average coal miner in his 50s, about half the work force may be replaced in the next five years.

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#1470

From: "Rob McGee" <usmra@...>
Date: Sat Jul 17, 2004 6:18 pm
Subject: Coal mine sealed to put out fire, though three still missing

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Coal mine sealed to put out fire, though three still missing

www.chinaview.cn 2004-07-17 20:55:27

CHANGSHA, July 17 (Xinhuanet) -- Poisonous gas and smog prevented rescue work in the Shuangfu Coal Mine in central China's Hunan Province, leaving little chance of survival for the three missing miners underground, and experts decided to seal the coal mine to extinguish the fire on Saturday.

The decision was made on experts' discussion and the approval of the missing victims' families, according to the rescue headquarters.

The fire occurred at around 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday in the coal mine in Xiangtan county as the result of a broken cable. As of press time, six miners had been killed, three were still missing and 15 were hospitalized including two in danger.

"The victims were located at about 600 meters below the ground.When we reached the strait lane about 400 meters underground, we were forced back by the poisonous gases, high temperature and narrow space," said tired Yang Jinshan, a rescuer who just came out of the mine.

The air in the mine was filled with high concentration of poisonous gases and the indexes showed people could fall into coma with one breath of the air, Yang said.

However, five rescue teams had tried their best to reach the missing victims according to different rescue programs, but all failed.

Experts analyzed the conditions underground and concluded the three missing miners could not survive such poisonous conditions and rescue could not be carried out in the affected areas.

Four parts of the coal mine were sealed to put out the fire so that rescue work could be carried out later.

They had tried their best and it was the only way to deal with the situation now, said most families of the victims.

The privately-owned mine was operating without a required license, the province's coal mine safety authorities said.

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