DONETSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - Rescuers tunnelling through a blocked shaft on Monday retrieved alive two of 37 miners missing after a gas explosion at a pit in Ukraine's Donbass coalfield, officials said.
The regional mine inspectorate said the body of a third miner was also found about 700 metres (2,300 feet) below the surface at the Karl Marx mine northeast of the regional centre Donetsk.
The inspectorate said rescue teams were trying to push their way further down the goods shaft. Rescue workers told Ukrainian television they believed other miners might still be alive at a depth of 1,000 metres, about where the explosion occurred.
"They say they have heard voices at two levels," Coal Industry Minister Viktor Poltavets told Fifth Channel television.
"For the moment we don't know what is going on at 1,000 metres. But it is our understanding that there are people up to that depth. So we have to get through faster."
The television said the two rescued miners were brought to the surface in a small metal cage, briefly examined and taken to hospital. Both appeared to be in good health.
Five staff on the surface suffered burns and other injuries after being struck by equipment tossed about in the explosion, which blocked the two main shafts. Veteran miners described it as one of the most powerful blasts experienced in the industry.
Gas explosions are a frequent occurrence in Ukraine's outdated mines, many of which are unprofitable and date from the 19th century.
_______________________________ U. S. Mine Rescue Association http://www.usmra.com
Flooding Threatens Trapped Miners in Ukraine - Deputy PM
June 8, 2008
KYIV. June 8 (Interfax) - First Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Turchynov said a Ukrainian coal mine where an explosion early on Sunday trapped 37 workers underground would be flooded within hours and that a rescue team was making its way to them through debris.
"The rescue workers have already been able to get to the 625- meter mark down the additional shaft. Further passage is blocked," Turchynov, who heads an ad hoc government commission investigating the accident, said at a commission meeting at the state-owned Karl Marx Mine in Yenakiyeve, Donetsk region, the accident site.
Turchynov said human voices could be heard coming from a depth of 700 meters.
"On the basis of the results of the [commission] meeting, it has been established that the cause of the powerful explosion in the mine in Yenakiyeve was the high content of methane inside," the government press service said.
The commission decided to set up a rescue committee to operate round the clock. There would also be psychologists working with the trapped miners' families.
Earlier, Turchnynov told a briefing that a state industrial safety watchdog examined the Karl Marx Mine on Friday and ordered it to be put out of operation.
At the commission meeting at the mine, Turchynov said a criminal investigation had been opened. "If there is information that the mine kept operating and producing coal despite the ban, it will be a matter for the Office of the Prosecutor General to take up. And undoubtedly there will be a very strict punishment," he said.
Turchynov cited the mine management as telling the commission that no industrial work had been carried out at the mine after the ban was imposed.
The deputy premier said investigators would question members of the mine's personnel and the five miners who had been on the surface when the blast occurred at 5 a.m. and were injured and hospitalized.
Turchynov said the explosion was the most powerful in the history of the Ukrainian coal industry. "Veteran miners cannot remember explosions of such a scale," he said.
Turchynov said the mine could be closed down.
The blast damaged surface structures and destroyed underground telephone communications.
_______________________________ U. S. Mine Rescue Association http://www.usmra.com
Twenty one miners located after east Ukraine coal mine blast
June 9, 2008
DONETSK, June 9 (RIA Novosti) - Rescue workers have located 21 miners in a coal mine in eastern Ukraine following a methane blast, a spokeswoman for the local mine safety watchdog said on Monday.
"Twenty one men have been located alive," she said.
The explosion occurred 1,000 meters (3,280 ft) underground at the Karl Marx mine in the town of Yenakiyevo in the Donetsk Region early on Sunday morning. One miner was killed in the blast, and 13 are still missing. The powerful explosion shattered windows in neighboring buildings and injured four people on the surface.
Work at the mine was suspended several days before the accident following breaches of safety regulations. The miners were carrying out maintenance work to improve safety conditions when the blast occurred.
Another seven miners were killed at the state-run mine in an accident in 1999.
Ukrainian mines are considered extremely dangerous due to the use of obsolete equipment and numerous safety violations. According to press reports, nearly 5,000 miners have died in Ukraine since 1991.
_______________________________ U. S. Mine Rescue Association http://www.usmra.com
Twenty four miners rescued, 12 missing in Ukraine mine blast
June 10, 2008
DONETSK, June 10 (RIA Novosti) - Rescue workers are continuing to search for 12 missing miners after rescuing 24 workers from a coal mine in eastern Ukraine, which was hit by an explosion Sunday, the local mine safety watchdog said Tuesday.
"The rescue operation is continuing," a spokesman said.
The methane blast occurred 1,000 meters (3,280 ft) underground at the Karl Marx mine in the town of Yenakiyevo in the Donetsk Region early on Sunday morning, when a total of 37 miners were working in the mine.
One miner was killed in the blast, and his body was brought out early on Tuesday. The powerful explosion shattered windows in neighboring buildings and injured four people on the surface.
Work at the mine was suspended several days before the accident following breaches in safety regulations. The miners were carrying out maintenance work to improve safety conditions when the blast occurred.
Another seven miners were killed at the state-run mine in an accident in 1999.
Ukrainian mines are considered extremely dangerous due to the use of obsolete equipment and numerous safety violations. According to press reports, nearly 5,000 miners have died in Ukraine since 1991.
_______________________________ U. S. Mine Rescue Association http://www.usmra.com
Search teams are still trying to find 12 miners trapped after a gas explosion at a pit in Ukraine, but there are fears they may not have survived.
Twenty-four miners were brought out alive on Monday, a day after the huge explosion rocked the Karl Marx mine in the eastern Donetsk region.
The body of one man, who did not survive the blast, was also retrieved.
But there has been no contact with 12 others still deep underground, amid fears the mine could soon flood.
"The search for the 12 miners is continuing," the emergency situations ministry said in a statement.
"The water is rising but it is still possible to work," Marina Nikitina, a spokeswoman for the mine safety agency, told the AFP news agency.
'Chances are minimal'
First Deputy Prime Minister Olexander Turchinov, the most senior government official at the accident site, said it was difficult to remain optimistic.
"I do not want to make any predictions, but I would say that the chances are minimal. But there always is hope," he said.
He said nine of the missing men had been ascending in a lift and were about 200m (650ft) from the surface when they were hit by the blast, which sent the cage plummeting back down the shaft.
The other three, he said, were about 1,000m below ground, where the blast occurred.
President Viktor Yushchenko accused the government of an "irresponsible" approach to the coal industry, which is still dominated by Soviet-era technology and has suffered a series of fatal accidents recently.
"The condition of the coal mining industry is deteriorating further and the profession of coal miner is becoming extremely dangerous," a spokeswoman for the president said.
Three mine blasts in the same region late last year killed more than 100 men.
The 110-year-old Karl Marx mine in Yenakiyevo, 60km (37 miles) north-east of the regional capital Donetsk, had officially been closed because of safety fears.
The miners were carrying out safety improvements when the explosion occurred on Sunday.
_______________________________ U. S. Mine Rescue Association http://www.usmra.com
Four miners in grave condition after blast in Karl Marx mine
UNIAN News Agency - Kiev,Ukraine June 10, 2008
Four miners, who suffered after explosion of methane that occurred in Karl Marx mine in Yenakiyevo town in the east of Ukraine on Sunday morning, are in a grave condition. They underwent medical treatment in the burns center of the Institute for Emergency and Reparative Surgery in Donetsk.
According to the information of the Donetsk Oblast State Administration, out of them three suffered on the surface, and were hospitalized to the burns center on June 8, and one was brought to the surface from the mine on June 9, and also hospitalized to the burns center.
On the whole, 29 suffered miners are undergoing medical treatment in local hospitals. Out of them, five suffered on the surface, and 24 – in the mine. Their state of health is satisfactory. Only few of them have burns and injures, the majority are getting treatment for what the physicians call ‘situational neurosis’.
As UNIAN reported earlier, huge explosion that has no precedents in the history of Ukraine’s mining industry, occurred in Karl Marx mine in the east-Ukrainian Donetsk region on Sunday morning. 37 people were reported to be underground. Out of them, 24 were brought to the surface, one miner was found dead, and the plight of another twelve missing miners still remains uncertain.
_______________________________ U. S. Mine Rescue Association http://www.usmra.com
BEIJING, June 13 (Reuters) - A blast in a north China coal mine left 34 workers trapped underground on Friday, after rescuers lifted nine to safety, Xinhua news agency reported.
"Explosives" blew up at the bottom of the shaft at the mine in Luliang in the coal-rich Shanxi province, initially trapped 43, Xinhua said, citing local officials.
The mine's licenses and certificates were valid and it passed a safety inspection earlier this year, the report cited officials as saying.
China's coal mining industry is the deadliest in the world, as mine owners push production beyond safety limits in the face of robust demand and soaring profits amid an economic boom.
A total of 3,786 Chinese coal miners died in gas blasts, flooding and other accidents in 2007, down 20 percent from 2006.
Also on Friday, a landslide on a mountain in Luliang killed at least 12 workers at a rural brick factory, Xinhua said, adding the total number buried was unknown.
More than 300 rescuers and 20 earthmoving machines have been mobilised in the search for the missing, the report said.
_______________________________ U. S. Mine Rescue Association http://www.usmra.com
Republican & Herald - Pottsville,PA,USA June 13, 2008
TREMONT — The owner of a Tremont Township mine, the mine foreman and another miner had charges against them — including involuntary manslaughter — held to Schuylkill County Court during a hearing Thursday that included more than 40 hours of testimony.
The three were charged in connection with the Oct. 23, 2006, death of miner Dale Reightler, 43, of Donaldson, at the R&D Coal Co. Buck Mountain Mine.
Magisterial District Judge Carol A. Pankake made the ruling that the state successfully made its case against mine owner David P. Zimmerman, 52, of 79 Molleystown Road, Pine Grove; his son, Steven D. Zimmerman, 32, of 77 Molleystown Road, Pine Grove; and Jeffrey T. Klinger, 42, of 2A W. Laurel St., Tremont.
Both Zimmermans are charged with one count each of involuntary manslaughter, recklessly endangering another person, obstructing the administration of law and two counts of causing or risking a catastrophe.
David Zimmerman is also charged with tampering with or fabricating physical evidence; six counts of criminal conspiracy; and 10 violations of the Anthracite Mining Act. Steven Zimmerman faces 10 charges of criminal conspiracy and eight violations of the Anthracite Mining Act.
Klinger is charged with one count each of involuntary manslaughter and recklessly endangering another person; two counts of causing or risking a catastrophe and six violations of the Anthracite Mining Act.
Glenn Parno, chief of the state Attorney General’s Environmental Crime Section, told the court that safety violations at the mine led to an explosion that injured four miners on Dec. 1, 2004, and eventually to the death of Reightler two years later.
Terry D. Wolfgang, a mine inspector with the state Department of Environmental Resources Bureau of Mine Safety, said he inspected the mine after both the 2004 and 2006 explosions.
He said the cause of the 2004 explosion was initially ruled “inconclusive” because of a lack of evidence. However, he said that additional information obtained from miners after the 2006 incident led authorities to determine methane as the cause of the earlier incident.
In 2006, Wolfgang cited several safety violations that led to the fatal blast including improper ventilation, inadequate methane testing, improper storage of explosives and no stemming, a process that packs material into a bore hole in order to contain a blast and keep residue from blowing into the air.
Wolfgang said that according to the Anthracite Mining Act, the mine owner/operator and the mine foreman are directly responsible for ensuring a safe environment, proper ventilation and safe mining practices.
Wolfgang also said that a mine map at the site failed to show that the No. 19 breast where Reightler was killed was mined 300 feet more than documented. The additional footage did not have proper ventilation, and that led to the buildup of methane.
The inspector testified that Klinger set off the blast that killed Reightler despite not being certified to do so. Reightler, Wolfgang said, was “in a direct line of the blast.”
In addition, Wolfgang said that Steven Zimmerman, Reightler and Klinger were not certified as required by the Anthracite Mining Act.
Special agent Barry J. Moran of the Attorney General’s Office said methane was detected earlier the day of the blast and shortly before Klinger set off the explosive. He also said that a methane detector was found in the “off” position several hundred feet away from where Reightler and Klinger were.
Both men told the court that their investigations also determined a lack of thorough pre-shift safety inspections.
Three former miners at R&D — Ricky Block, Randall Brosius and Craig Rittenbaugh — testified that prior to the 2004 explosion, no pre-shift inspections were done. After that day, all three said daily inspections were done, but were probably not thorough since the time each took was less than what mining experts estimated.
In closing, Klinger’s attorney, Nicholas Quinn, Pottsville, said his client was not reckless and ultimate responsibility lies with the Zimmermans.
Parno countered by saying that Klinger fired the blast despite knowing Reightler was in the area and that methane was present.
Max Kramer, Philadelphia, David Zimmerman’s attorney, said his client provided working methane detectors and did not take any actions that directly led to the explosion.
Parno responded by saying that David Zimmerman’s knowing violations of the Anthracite Mining Act made working underground unsafe, something a mine owner or operator would know.
Steven Zimmerman’s attorney, Robert Deluca, Philadelphia, told the court that testimony showed his client was not in the area of the fatal blast. He also said Steven Zimmerman made sure working methane detectors were available even though the miners elected not to use them and conducted the pre-shift safety inspections.
Parno said that despite being in another area of the mine, as foreman, Steven Zimmerman was responsible for miner safety and the mining operation. He said that Steven Zimmerman allowed miners to work in conditions that ultimately led to Reightler’s death.
After the hearing, Reightler’s wife, Dorothy, said she was satisfied with the investigation, charges and court action. At first, she said she thought her husband’s death was simply an accident but has since changed her mind.
“I think they were responsible,” she said about both Zimmermans and Klinger.
Pankake dismissed other charges of criminal conspiracy to commit involuntary manslaughter, criminal conspiracy to commit recklessly endangering another person and criminal conspiracy to commit causing or risking a catastrophe against both Zimmermans. All charges against Klinger were held to court.
_______________________________ U. S. Mine Rescue Association http://www.usmra.com
Charleston Gazette - Charleston,WV,USA By Ken Ward Jr.
June 13, 2008
Federal regulators have finalized a long-awaited rule to require rescue chambers in the nation's underground coal mines, the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration announced on Friday.
The new rule was written to comply with a federal law passed after the Sago Mine disaster and an additional law included in this year's Department of Labor budget bill.
"While miners must continue to follow their first instinct -- which is to withdraw from the mine in the event of an emergency -- this proposed regulation calls for a protected, secure space that creates a life-sustaining environment when escape is not possible," said MSHA chief Richard Stickler.
MSHA said it will hold four public hearings on the proposed rule, including one on July 31 in Charleston.
The proposal is to be published in the Federal Register on Monday, one day after a legal deadline imposed by Congress. It can be viewed at www.msha.gov.
_______________________________ U. S. Mine Rescue Association http://www.usmra.com
Feds plan to require airtight refuge chambers nationwide
Associated Press - June 13, 2008 3:15 PM ET
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration has taken a stab at requiring airtight emergency refuges in the nation's 624 underground coal mines.
Under rules proposed Friday, the nation's mine operators can either store building materials underground, build airtight rooms, or place prefabricated refuges in the mines.
The proposal puts in place actions required of operators since last year when MSHA ordered companies to provide at least 96 hours of breathable emergency air supplies.
MSHA's proposal is required by federal legislation passed after high-profile accidents in 2006 that killed 19 miners, including 12 at West Virginia's Sago Mine.
Illinois and West Virginia currently require airtight refuge chambers.
_______________________________ U. S. Mine Rescue Association http://www.usmra.com
One of 13 miners still hospitalized after the methane gas explosion in Borynia mine, Jastrzębie Zdrój, southern Poland is in a critical condition.
The explosion killed four miners late on the night of June 4th. The Jastrzebie Zdroj local government have called for a period of local mourning.
The cause of the blast is under investigation, the National Mining Office expects the special commission, called to establish the cause of the tragedy, will present the results of its investigation in September.
Investigators are working on the assumption of three possibilities of what caused the tragedy: self-ignition, negligence or the so-called misplaced currents.
_______________________________ U. S. Mine Rescue Association http://www.usmra.com
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Twenty-seven miners were killed and another seven remained trapped after an explosion in a Chinese coal mine, state media said on Saturday.
The explosion in a facility of Anxin Coal Mining Co in China's northern Shanxi province occurred on Friday morning, when 58 miners were working underground, the official Xinhua agency said. Fifteen miners had managed to escape, and another nine were rescued, it added.
China, the world's largest producer and consumer of coal, has the world's deadliest mining industry.
It has been battling to improve standards in its mines, but accidents are common as owners push production beyond safety limits to meet robust demand to fuel the country's economic boom.
_______________________________ U. S. Mine Rescue Association http://www.usmra.com
Charleston Gazette - Charleston,WV,USA By Ken Ward Jr.
June 14, 2008
As legal deadlines approach and some advances are made, federal regulators still lag behind in implementing a two-year-old, landmark mine safety law, critics said this week.
Two years ago Sunday, President Bush signed into law the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response, or MINER, Act.
New rules have been finalized to require stronger underground mine seals, more and better mine rescue teams, and stiffer monetary fines for serious safety and health violations.
And on Friday, the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration announced it was proposing new rules to require rescue chambers in underground coal mines.
"While miners must continue to follow their first instinct - which is to withdraw from the mine in the event of an emergency - this proposed regulation calls for a protected, secure space that creates a life-sustaining environment when escape is not possible," said Richard Stickler, assistant labor secretary for MSHA.
Still to come from MSHA is a response due next week to a task force report that recommended the agency toughen its restrictions on the use of conveyor belt tunnels as fresh air intakes in underground mines.
And while MSHA is struggling to meet MINER Act deadlines, the agency is also moving forward with at least one other regulatory proposal that is sure to be controversial.
Earlier this month, Stickler submitted to the White House a proposal rule concerning drug and alcohol use in the coal industry.
The proposal is still under review by the Office of Management and Budget, and MSHA has not responded to requests for details of the plan.
Coal industry officials have been pushing for MSHA-mandated drug testing of miners or some other regulation. The United Mine Workers union is wary of such proposals, especially because some companies have said a regulation would help them combat safeguards given to workers under UMW contracts.
And MSHA critics say that the agency is nowhere near living up to the mandate of the MINER Act, passed after 2006 disasters at the Sago and Darby mines and the fire at the Aracoma Alma Mine.
In April, the U.S. Government Accountability Project reported that miners across the country are still waiting for emergency gear mandated by the MINER Act.
A Senate subcommittee is scheduled to hear testimony on progress and problems with MSHA's implementation of the MINER Act during a hearing on Thursday.
As legal deadlines approach and some advances are made, federal regulators still lag behind in implementing a two-year-old, landmark mine safety law, critics said this week.
Two years ago Sunday, President Bush signed into law the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response, or MINER, Act.
New rules have been finalized to require stronger underground mine seals, more and better mine rescue teams, and stiffer monetary fines for serious safety and health violations.
And on Friday, the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration announced it was proposing new rules to require rescue chambers in underground coal mines.
"While miners must continue to follow their first instinct - which is to withdraw from the mine in the event of an emergency - this proposed regulation calls for a protected, secure space that creates a life-sustaining environment when escape is not possible," said Richard Stickler, assistant labor secretary for MSHA.
Still to come from MSHA is a response due next week to a task force report that recommended the agency toughen its restrictions on the use of conveyor belt tunnels as fresh air intakes in underground mines.
And while MSHA is struggling to meet MINER Act deadlines, the agency is also moving forward with at least one other regulatory proposal that is sure to be controversial.
Earlier this month, Stickler submitted to the White House a proposal rule concerning drug and alcohol use in the coal industry.
The proposal is still under review by the Office of Management and Budget, and MSHA has not responded to requests for details of the plan.
Coal industry officials have been pushing for MSHA-mandated drug testing of miners or some other regulation. The United Mine Workers union is wary of such proposals, especially because some companies have said a regulation would help them combat safeguards given to workers under UMW contracts.
And MSHA critics say that the agency is nowhere near living up to the mandate of the MINER Act, passed after 2006 disasters at the Sago and Darby mines and the fire at the Aracoma Alma Mine.
In April, the U.S. Government Accountability Project reported that miners across the country are still waiting for emergency gear mandated by the MINER Act.
A Senate subcommittee is scheduled to hear testimony on progress and problems with MSHA's implementation of the MINER Act during a hearing on Thursday.
Last week, House Labor Committee Chairman George Miller, D-Calif., sent a detailed letter to Labor Secretary Elaine Chao to outline a variety of concerns:
• While moving to require mine rescue chambers as a long-term option, MSHA is not also mandating that mine operators immediately provide miners with emergency breathable air until rescue chambers are delivered.
• MSHA is allowing "ambiguity" in the meaning of the word "wireless" to delay requiring mine operators to upgrade their underground communications equipment, despite advice to the contrary from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
• Top MSHA officials have not provided district field offices with concrete guidance for review and approval of required emergency response plans, to ensure that all miners nationwide receive the same level of protections.
"Thanks to legislative action and public pressure, progress has been made in some areas of mine safety and health in the last few years, but major gaps remain in providing protections that the public and the Congress determined should be provided," Miller said in his June 11 letter to Chao.
In Friday's announcement on rescue chambers, MSHA said the proposed rule meets the requirements of the MINER Act.
But the MINER Act itself required only that MSHA respond within six months to a NIOSH study of underground mine shelter alternatives. After the Democrats took over Congress, they added language to this year's Labor Department budget bill that actually required MSHA to write regulations that required mine operators to install shelters underground.
For nearly 40 years, federal law has given MSHA and its predecessor agencies authority to write such regulations. But agency officials from both parties have never done so, despite various government studies that concluded shelters were a good idea.
And publication of the new MSHA proposal, scheduled for Monday's Federal Register, is actually one day behind the June 15 deadline set by this year's budget legislation.
MSHA will accept public comments on the proposal through Aug. 18. Agency officials have scheduled four public hearings, including one at 9 a.m. July 31 at the Charleston Marriott. Copies of the proposal are available at www.msha.gov.
Under the budget bill, MSHA must finalize the rule by Dec. 31.
_______________________________ U. S. Mine Rescue Association http://www.usmra.com
Xstrata Nickel's mine rescue team wins provincial competition
Your Metal News (press release) - Aberdeen,UK
Friday, Jun 13, 2008
Xstrata Nickel’s Sudbury Operations is proud to announce its Fraser/Thayer-Lindsley mine rescue team won the Provincial Mine Rescue Competition held June 6-7, 2008 at the Northern Centre for Advanced Technology’s (NORCAT) training site in Onaping.
The team was honoured with three of the competition’s five awards:
• First Place Overall • Team Firefighting • Team First Aid
The team competed against five others from across Ontario. This is the fifth time in 12 years a team from the Sudbury Operations has won the top provincial title.
"Congratulations to the members of the Fraser/Thayer-Lindsley team. They were outstanding representatives of both Xstrata Nickel and the Sudbury district with their performance,” said Mike Romaniuk, Vice-President of Sudbury Operations for Xstrata Nickel. “This is a clear demonstration of the quality of our mine rescue program and the commitment of all employees involved to ensuring the health and safety of our workers."
Mine rescue is a specialized and provincially regulated aspect of emergency response for mining operations. Xstrata Nickel has nearly 70 personnel trained for mine rescue. They train at least six times during the year, with additional training for those participating in the competitions. All mine rescuers must pass a Basic and Standard course; an Advanced accreditation is also available.
Each year the Mines and Aggregates Safety and Health Association (MASHA) holds regional and provincial mine rescue competitions in Ontario to test team skills and to help ensure consistency in training and equipment across all districts. Teams of eight simulate a response to a crisis situation, during which they are judged on their use of field testing gear, the briefing delivered by the Briefing Officer to the team and the rescue simulation.
_______________________________ U. S. Mine Rescue Association http://www.usmra.com
Here's the current list of new arrivals to the USMRA Safety Training Materials Repository. I'll post similar lists in the future as new arrivals come in. For more, visit http://www.usmra.com/repository/.
Rob
Format
Category
Title
File Size
Accidents
New York Crane Collapse This PowerPoint Presentation consists of photos and text mined from the web pertaining to the fatal New York crane collapse which occurred in May 2008.
Artistic Potholes Here's a new twist on the speed bump. Strategically placed in your parking lot, the traffic is sure to slow down, initially that is.
4 Kb
Driving Safety
Saudi Auto Accident Unknown what led to this vehicle accident. Makes a statement for the use of seat belts. (Very Graphic)
1.9 Mb
Environmental Hazards
Snakes Enough to make your skin crawl. How can anyone make a recreational activity out of these?
4 Kb
Health
Heat Stress When the heat is combined with other stresses such as hard physical work, loss of fluids, fatigue or some medical conditions, it may lead to heat-related illness, disability and even death. (24 slides)
108 Kb
Health
Heat Stress Heat exhaustion results when a person has lost large amounts of fluid by sweating. (27 slides)
288 Kb
Health
Heat Stress Prevention When you are exposed to heat, constant exertion combines with higher temperatures to make things uncomfortable-and sometimes even dangerous. (30 slides)
903 Kb
Lightning Safety
Lightning Strikes Discussion of lightning accidents and general precautions we should take when lightning nears.
44 Kb
Machine Guarding
Nine Finger Joe Now here's an accident just waiting to happen. Too bad we can't see his face to see what stupid actually looks like.
4 Kb
Mine Rescue
Coal Mine Rescue Team Final Rule MSHA presentation in PDF format on the Mine Rescue Rule published February 8, 2008. (35 slides)
628 Kb
Mine Rescue
Coal Mine Rescue Team Final Rule MSHA presentation in PowerPoint format on the Mine Rescue Rule published February 8, 2008. (35 slides)
Responsible Person Training For each shift that miners work underground, there shall be in attendance a responsible person designated by the mine operator to take charge during mine emergencies involving a fire, explosion, or gas or water inundation. (42 slides)
Training Responsible Persons For each shift that miners work underground, there shall be in attendance a responsible person designated by the mine operator to take charge during mine emergencies involving a fire, explosion, or gas or water inundation. (30 slides)
237 Kb
NEC
Training Scenarios This document is to be used in conjunction with the training of responsible persons required by Part 75 for fires, explosions and inundations of gas or water.
140 Kb
Stockpiles
Stockpile Accident Alert Recently a dozer operator while preparing to push coal into a feeder drove the dozer into the feeder. The operator was thrown through the windshield into the feeder entrance. The operator was not wearing a seatbelt and received serious injuries.
127 Kb
Stress
Stress and Stress Management How you handle stress can mean the difference between being happy and productive ... or frustrated and anxious. (8 slides)
293 Kb
Stress
Stress Management Every employer shall make a suitable and sufficient assessment of (a) the risks to the health and safety of his employees to which they are exposed whilst they are at work. (98 slides)
243 Kb
_______________________________ U. S. Mine Rescue Association http://www.usmra.com
Basic Electrical Safety If you spot problems with electrical equipment you should reporit to your supervisor. (31 slides)
236 Kb
Hazard Alerts
Halon cylinder becomes rocket! The combination of pressure and size of the cylinder hole caused the cylinder to discharge its contents rapidly, and it flew through the air.
Seven dead, one missing in north China mine flooding
Xinhua - China
June 15, 2008
TAIYUAN, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Seven miners were confirmed dead and one was missing in a flooded colliery in north China's Shanxi Province, local authorities said on Sunday.
The flooding occurred in Yutian Coal Mining Co. Ltd. in Ningwu County at about 11 p.m. Friday when 14 miners were working underground, according to the provincial work safety watchdog.
Five managed to escape on their own. Another one was rescued and then sent to a local hospital, officials said.
The mine is a licensed one with an annual production capacity of 150,000 tons, local authorities said.
Rescuers are continuing to search for the missing.
_______________________________ U. S. Mine Rescue Association http://www.usmra.com
It is time to stop killing our children, husbands, brothers and sons in the name of mining.
It is time to stop killing our children, husbands, brothers and sons in the name of mining. The death on May 30th of Adam Lanham, age 18, of Mill Creek, is so revolting that it should shock the mining industry and the community at large.
How, after 150-plus years of mining deaths, do we still ask men and women in this country to put their lives at risk as part of their daily job?
How do we explain that an underground haulage accident snuffed out this young life? Deaths in mines today are merely replicas of deadly incidents which have occurred before, multiple times and in multiple other mines. The same hazards, the same causes lead to these deaths. We have not invented new ways to kill our miners.
Why do highly profitable mining corporations engage in business practices known to increase the risks and dangers these men face? The use of contractor employees by ICG (International Coal Group) in this instance, and by many other mining companies as well, is a practice known to increase miners' risk of injury and death because of ineffective training and supervision. Red hat or entry-level miners, such as Mr. Lanham, are at particular risk. ICG was not his employer. ICG hired Mine Temp LLC, of Morgantown, as a contractor who hired and "trained" Adam to work at the Sentinel Mine. His total mining experience was four weeks and five days; his risk of harm was higher because he was a contract miner.
But deaths in the name of mining didn't stop with young Mr. Lanham. On June 5, Gary A. Hoffman, 55, at Rivesville in Marion County, at the Robinson Run Mine owned and operated by Consol Energy, and on Tuesday, June 3, two other miners were killed in separate accidents in Indiana and Kentucky.
But where is the response and where is the corporate resolve from the mining industry to put an end to the senseless pattern? Many industry spokesmen complained bitterly after Sago, Aracoma, Kentucky Darby and Crandall Canyon that government at both the state and federal levels was adopting laws which were too onerous for the mining industry.
To his credit, last August, J. Brett Harvey, President of Pittsburgh-based Consol, called on the coal industry to end death in the mines by ending the corporate acceptance of and tolerance to fatal accidents.
Tragically Mr. Hoffman's death at a Consol mine only highlights the need to increase the resolve Mr. Harvey called for.
It is time to stop killing our children, husbands, brothers and sons in the name of mining. The death on May 30th of Adam Lanham, age 18, of Mill Creek, is so revolting that it should shock the mining industry and the community at large.
How, after 150-plus years of mining deaths, do we still ask men and women in this country to put their lives at risk as part of their daily job?
How do we explain that an underground haulage accident snuffed out this young life? Deaths in mines today are merely replicas of deadly incidents which have occurred before, multiple times and in multiple other mines. The same hazards, the same causes lead to these deaths. We have not invented new ways to kill our miners.
Why do highly profitable mining corporations engage in business practices known to increase the risks and dangers these men face? The use of contractor employees by ICG (International Coal Group) in this instance, and by many other mining companies as well, is a practice known to increase miners' risk of injury and death because of ineffective training and supervision. Red hat or entry-level miners, such as Mr. Lanham, are at particular risk. ICG was not his employer. ICG hired Mine Temp LLC, of Morgantown, as a contractor who hired and "trained" Adam to work at the Sentinel Mine. His total mining experience was four weeks and five days; his risk of harm was higher because he was a contract miner.
But deaths in the name of mining didn't stop with young Mr. Lanham. On June 5, Gary A. Hoffman, 55, at Rivesville in Marion County, at the Robinson Run Mine owned and operated by Consol Energy, and on Tuesday, June 3, two other miners were killed in separate accidents in Indiana and Kentucky.
But where is the response and where is the corporate resolve from the mining industry to put an end to the senseless pattern? Many industry spokesmen complained bitterly after Sago, Aracoma, Kentucky Darby and Crandall Canyon that government at both the state and federal levels was adopting laws which were too onerous for the mining industry.
To his credit, last August, J. Brett Harvey, President of Pittsburgh-based Consol, called on the coal industry to end death in the mines by ending the corporate acceptance of and tolerance to fatal accidents.
Tragically Mr. Hoffman's death at a Consol mine only highlights the need to increase the resolve Mr. Harvey called for.
These four deaths within days of one another demand that other mining company presidents and owners like ICG's Wilbur L. Ross, Jr. and Joseph W. Craft III, president of Alliance Coal, join Mr. Harvey and commit to stopping the killings and to cease using business practices such as contract mining which only heighten the risks miners face. Alliance Coal, a subsidiary of Alliance Resource Partners LP, is the Indiana mine where one of the Tuesday deaths occurred and also the site of the triple contractor fatality in August 2007.
Within less than one week's time, four miners have died, four families grieve and four funerals mark the needless carnage which haunts coal mining families of this country. It is time for changes. It is time to stop the deaths.
But it is not just recent weeks. Nationwide, 14 miners have died this year in coal mining accidents, double the number of deaths which occurred last year at the same time.
Unfortunately, while the coal mining industry is at record levels of profitability, many continue to resist safety and health legislation designed to prevent injury, illness and death and are increasingly engaged in business practices such as use of contract miners and bottom mining, which only heightens the risks miners face.
Today, many companies, rather than attempting to improve safety and compliance with the Federal law, aggressively challenge its application. Historically the rate of contesting citations by the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration was 7 percent. Today, the industry contests 25 percent of citations issued, and 15 companies have contested virtually every citation that MSHA inspectors have issued in the last six months.
It is time to end death in the mines and the mining companies to focus on steps to do just that.
McAteer, a former director of the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration, is vice president of Wheeling Jesuit University.
_______________________________ U. S. Mine Rescue Association http://www.usmra.com
TAIYUAN -- Initial investigation showed that substandard explosives had caused the coal mine blast that left 27 miners dead and seven others trapped, Shanxi provincial coal mine safety watchdog said on Sunday.
"The substandard explosives stored in the shaft self-ignited, resulting in the deadly blast, according to an official with the provincial coal mine safety watchdog.
It said poor management on safety in production was another reason for the heavy casualties.
Investigations showed the mining company had exceeded its production quota, mined at unapproved working areas and was equipped with poor ventilation facilities, said Zhao Tiechui, the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety's director.
According to the safety rules, only 29 people were allowed to be working under the shaft at any given time, but 58 workers were under the mine when the accident happened, he said.
The explosion occurred at the Anxin Coal Mining Co. Ltd. in Xiaoyi City at about 11 a.m. Friday. Fifteen managed to escape on their own and another nine were saved by rescuers. All the 24 miners were sent to nearby hospitals.
The bodies of 27 dead workers were pulled out of the shaft at about 5 a.m. Saturday.
The search came to a halt at mid-day Saturday after rescuers found lots of unused explosives and detonators in the shaft and left the mine.
_______________________________ U. S. Mine Rescue Association http://www.usmra.com
Divers in Ukraine are still searching for twelve workers missing after last weekend's gas explosion at the Karl Marx coal mine in Donetsk. According to the latest reports, the mine is flooded with more than 30m of water. It's thought some men may be in the elevator shaft which was damaged in the blast. So far, one miner has been found dead. The investigation commission said it intends to charge the mine’s management with negligence.
Twenty-four of the 37 miners who were down the pit were rescued soon after the blast. But gloom has descended on the relatives of those who remain 1,000m below ground.
The head of the investigation committee believes they were at the epicentre of the explosion and wouldn't have survived.
The Karl Marx mine failed to pass a safety inspection just days before the accident, but investigators say the extraction work continued regardless.
They claim the miners struck upon a rich seam of methane which leaked and ignited near the surface, causing the blast.
“All the witnesses tell me that only repair work was going on in the mine at the time. Yet we have incontrovertible evidence this is not the case. We have logs and recordings of conversations between the miners and the operators to prove it,” chief investigator Nikolay Maleev said.
Meanwhile, it is not just the colliery management who are interested in keeping the mines going, despite frequent accidents.
The miners are paid for every tonne of coal they quarry. Just hours after the explosion they gathered outside, demanding to be assigned to a new pit.
Almost all the jobs at the nearby town are connected with the mine.
Ukraine's transition from a planned economy to the free market has been difficult for this region.
The Karl Marx mine has never been a profitable one, yet the government wants to keep it going for what it calls "social reasons".
Coal Industry Minister Viktor Poltavets said efforts had been made to: “retrain the miners here for other professions”.
“So far, we have failed. We can make this industry viable but that requires large-scale investment,” Poltavets said.
However, the government has not been able to come up with the necessary funding to expand the capacity or even upgrade safety equipment.
Just a few miles away is the Zasyadko mine, where another blast killed more than a hundred people last November.
Ukrainian politicians said then it must never happen again.
_______________________________ U. S. Mine Rescue Association http://www.usmra.com
The 18 year old was killed cutting trees at a strip mine wasn't he?
From: "USMRA" [usmra@...] Sent: 06/15/2008 05:11 AM AST To: <minerescue@yahoogroups.com> Subject: [USMRA] Enough: No more mining deaths
J. Davitt McAteer
Enough: No more mining deaths
Charleston Gazette - Charleston,WV,USA
Op-Ed Commentaries
June 15, 2008
It is time to stop killing our children, husbands, brothers and sons in the name of mining.
It is time to stop killing our children, husbands, brothers and sons in the name of mining. The death on May 30th of Adam Lanham, age 18, of Mill Creek, is so revolting that it should shock the mining industry and the community at large.
How, after 150-plus years of mining deaths, do we still ask men and women in this country to put their lives at risk as part of their daily job?
How do we explain that an underground haulage accident snuffed out this young life? Deaths in mines today are merely replicas of deadly incidents which have occurred before, multiple times and in multiple other mines. The same hazards, the same causes lead to these deaths. We have not invented new ways to kill our miners.
Why do highly profitable mining corporations engage in business practices known to increase the risks and dangers these men face? The use of contractor employees by ICG (International Coal Group) in this instance, and by many other mining companies as well, is a practice known to increase miners' risk of injury and death because of ineffective training and supervision. Red hat or entry-level miners, such as Mr. Lanham, are at particular risk. ICG was not his employer. ICG hired Mine Temp LLC, of Morgantown, as a contractor who hired and "trained" Adam to work at the Sentinel Mine. His total mining experience was four weeks and five days; his risk of harm was higher because he was a contract miner.
But deaths in the name of mining didn't stop with young Mr. Lanham. On June 5, Gary A. Hoffman, 55, at Rivesville in Marion County, at the Robinson Run Mine owned and operated by Consol Energy, and on Tuesday, June 3, two other miners were killed in separate accidents in Indiana and Kentucky.
But where is the response and where is the corporate resolve from the mining industry to put an end to the senseless pattern? Many industry spokesmen complained bitterly after Sago, Aracoma, Kentucky Darby and Crandall Canyon that government at both the state and federal levels was adopting laws which were too onerous for the mining industry.
To his credit, last August, J. Brett Harvey, President of Pittsburgh-based Consol, called on the coal industry to end death in the mines by ending the corporate acceptance of and tolerance to fatal accidents.
Tragically Mr. Hoffman's death at a Consol mine only highlights the need to increase the resolve Mr. Harvey called for.
It is time to stop killing our children, husbands, brothers and sons in the name of mining. The death on May 30th of Adam Lanham, age 18, of Mill Creek, is so revolting that it should shock the mining industry and the community at large.
How, after 150-plus years of mining deaths, do we still ask men and women in this country to put their lives at risk as part of their daily job?
How do we explain that an underground haulage accident snuffed out this young life? Deaths in mines today are merely replicas of deadly incidents which have occurred before, multiple times and in multiple other mines. The same hazards, the same causes lead to these deaths. We have not invented new ways to kill our miners.
Why do highly profitable mining corporations engage in business practices known to increase the risks and dangers these men face? The use of contractor employees by ICG (International Coal Group) in this instance, and by many other mining companies as well, is a practice known to increase miners' risk of injury and death because of ineffective training and supervision. Red hat or entry-level miners, such as Mr. Lanham, are at particular risk. ICG was not his employer. ICG hired Mine Temp LLC, of Morgantown, as a contractor who hired and "trained" Adam to work at the Sentinel Mine. His total mining experience was four weeks and five days; his risk of harm was higher because he was a contract miner.
But deaths in the name of mining didn't stop with young Mr. Lanham. On June 5, Gary A. Hoffman, 55, at Rivesville in Marion County, at the Robinson Run Mine owned and operated by Consol Energy, and on Tuesday, June 3, two other miners were killed in separate accidents in Indiana and Kentucky.
But where is the response and where is the corporate resolve from the mining industry to put an end to the senseless pattern? Many industry spokesmen complained bitterly after Sago, Aracoma, Kentucky Darby and Crandall Canyon that government at both the state and federal levels was adopting laws which were too onerous for the mining industry.
To his credit, last August, J. Brett Harvey, President of Pittsburgh-based Consol, called on the coal industry to end death in the mines by ending the corporate acceptance of and tolerance to fatal accidents.
Tragically Mr. Hoffman's death at a Consol mine only highlights the need to increase the resolve Mr. Harvey called for.
These four deaths within days of one another demand that other mining company presidents and owners like ICG's Wilbur L. Ross, Jr. and Joseph W. Craft III, president of Alliance Coal, join Mr. Harvey and commit to stopping the killings and to cease using business practices such as contract mining which only heighten the risks miners face. Alliance Coal, a subsidiary of Alliance Resource Partners LP, is the Indiana mine where one of the Tuesday deaths occurred and also the site of the triple contractor fatality in August 2007.
Within less than one week's time, four miners have died, four families grieve and four funerals mark the needless carnage which haunts coal mining families of this country. It is time for changes. It is time to stop the deaths.
But it is not just recent weeks. Nationwide, 14 miners have died this year in coal mining accidents, double the number of deaths which occurred last year at the same time.
Unfortunately, while the coal mining industry is at record levels of profitability, many continue to resist safety and health legislation designed to prevent injury, illness and death and are increasingly engaged in business practices such as use of contract miners and bottom mining, which only heightens the risks miners face.
Today, many companies, rather than attempting to improve safety and compliance with the Federal law, aggressively challenge its application. Historically the rate of contesting citations by the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration was 7 percent. Today, the industry contests 25 percent of citations issued, and 15 companies have contested virtually every citation that MSHA inspectors have issued in the last six months.
It is time to end death in the mines and the mining companies to focus on steps to do just that.
McAteer, a former director of the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration, is vice president of Wheeling Jesuit University.
_______________________________ U. S. Mine Rescue Association http://www.usmra.com
Hello All,
We just received reports of 28 stolen SCSR's from Mammoth Coal
Company's #2 Gas Mine. These rescuers, all CSE SR-100's with a MFG
Date of 03-2008, were discovered missing on June 11, 2008. All
SCSR's had been confirmed to be present on June 06, 2008 so the theft
occured sometime between the 6th and 11th. They were stored units on
a diesel mantrip and 50 ton locomotive at the mine.
Please be on the lookout for these stolen rescuers and if anyone has
any information, please feel free to contact either myself or Mr.
Bays of Massey Energy Company (Contact Info Located Below).
Alternatively, you may visit http://www.minetheft.com and post an
anonymous tip via the website.
Thanks in advance for any information anyone has about this theft.
------------------------
Mammoth Coal Company - #2 Gas Mine
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 167073
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 201258
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 201614
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 201786
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 201357
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 201369
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 201129
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 201394
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 201157
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 201496
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 201447
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 201323
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 201849
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 201847
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 20199
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 201541
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 201391
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 201777
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 201733
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 201666
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 201558
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 201383
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 201444
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 201441
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 201722
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 201241
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 201267
CSE SR100 Rescuer Serial Number: 201987
Contact: Michael Bays, Security Director - Massey Energy Company
304-442-7201 - Telephone
Email: michael.bays@...
------------------------
Sincerely,
James Nagle
Operations Manager,
Mine Lifeline, LLC
MINETHEFT.COM
304-855-7080 - Telephone
888-396-0418 - Fax
http://www.minelifeline.com
"Leading The Way ... Out."
Note: the Harmony Mine operated by UAE CoalCorp. is currently largest
underground anthracite mine currently operating in the U. S.
40 year old Miner is Killed in Northumberland County
Posted: June 16, 2008 01:36 PM
Last Updated: June 16, 2008 01:36 PM
A miner was killed this morning in Northumberland County.
According to the State Department Division of Deep Mine Safety, a 40
year old miner was killed around 10 this morning, in some type of roof
collapse at the Harmony Mine.
Federal and State inspectors are on their way to the scene to
determine the cause. The incident happened at around 10:15 am on Monday.
Other miners were able to get him to the surface and he was airlifted
to a hospital. They don't know whether he died at the scene or on the
way to the hospital.
The Harmony Underground Coal Mine has been open since 1990.
This is not the first accident at the mine. In 2001, a miner was hurt
by machinery underground. In 2004, another miner suffered crushing
injuries from two pieces of machinery.
This is the third fatal mining accident in Pennsylvania this year.
People's Daily Online - Beijing,China June 17, 2008
A cave-in killed five workers in a coal mine in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region early Tuesday, local government authorities reported.
The accident happened at about 6 a.m. in Laojunmiao Colliery in Mulei County of Xinjiang, trapping eight miners.
The workers were quickly evacuated but five died en route to a hospital of gas poisoning. The other three remained hospitalized.
Local government said the colliery was ordered to suspend production for safety improvement on June 11.
According to mine managers, the workers were doing maintenance on the shaft and clearing slag when the mine suddenly collapsed.
The cause of the accident is still being investigated.
_______________________________ U. S. Mine Rescue Association http://www.usmra.com
Louisville Courier-Journal - Louisville,KY,USA June 17, 2008
WASHINGTON -- On the second anniversary of the signing of landmark coal-mine safety legislation, the top federal mine regulator acknowledged yesterday that at least one of its requirements won't be met.
Richard Stickler, acting head of the Mine Safety and Health Administration, said the technology for two-way wireless communications underground -- which the law said should be in place for emergencies by next June -- doesn't exist yet.
"I can't predict the future … (but) we don't see this technology at this time," Stickler told reporters in a conference call.
The 2006 law does allow for alternatives, and Stickler said MSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health are working on some.
Overall, he said his agency has been diligent in implementing the law, but the Bush administration continues to oppose additional safety legislation.
Critics said MSHA has had to be pushed to make the safety improvements that have been put in place.
"It's been more reactionary than proactive," said Tony Oppegard, a former state and federal mine-safety regulator who is now a Lexington attorney.
"Under (Labor) Secretary Elaine Chao's watch, MSHA has failed to put the safety of workers first," said Aaron Albright, spokesman for Rep. George Miller, a California Democrat who is chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. "Pressure from miners and the Congress has been the only thing to move Secretary Chao to act. There is much more to be done."
Miller was a chief sponsor of the 2006 law, called the MINER Act, which boosted fines for safety violations and required more oxygen supplies for miners and stronger underground seals to prevent deadly explosions.
The law was passed after fatal blasts at the Kentucky Darby mine in Harlan County and two accidents in West Virginia that killed a total of 19 miners. President Bush signed the bill on June 15, 2006.
In January the House passed Miller's follow-up legislation that would give MSHA more enforcement powers; require more stringent regulation of retreat mining; provide for independent investigations of accidents in which more than one miner is killed; and mandate new coal-dust monitors for miners.
"There are certain provisions that would enhance and improve safety, but also provisions in that we think would not improve safety," Stickler said.
Oppegard called that stance "extremely disappointing."
'Disingenuous'
"It strikes me as somewhat disingenuous to take credit or crow about what you've done with regards to the MINER Act, which are directives from Congress, on the one hand, and on the other hand he won't support an even stronger law that would provide more protections for miners," Oppegard said.
During the conference call, Stickler said his agency has published new rules to make underground mine seals stronger, improve mine rescue teams, boost penalties for safety violations, provide more air to miners and add lifelines miners can follow out of mines.
The agency also is proposing a rule that allows for three different methods of providing refuges for trapped miners.
The Government Accountability Office, the nonpartisan auditing arm of Congress, said in April that MSHA has been inconsistent in specifying what should be in mines' emergency response plans. Enforcement of safety laws also varied widely in different parts of the country, the GAO said.
Stickler said yesterday: "There is no doubt in my mind we've tried to do our very best to implement all provisions as fast as we could."
MSHA now has 750 mine inspectors, up from 587 in mid-2006, he said. That's the highest number since 1994.
The hirings were the result of special budget language sponsored by Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va.
Stickler said "MSHA has taken a more aggressive approach on enforcement," including issuing nearly 700 citations for violations of the new safety law.
The agency also has issued more than 50 citations for "flagrant violations," which can carry a maximum fine of $220,000.
But MSHA's workload has increased because some mine operators are challenging every proposed penalty, Stickler said. More than 200 operators are contesting all of the safety violations for which MSHA has cited them, he said.
"It appears to me they're deliberately abusing the system and creating a backlog that is making it difficult for MSHA and everyone involved," Stickler said.
The wireless communications systems required by the 2006 law are difficult to put in place because of the topography involved in underground coal mines, the depth of rock that might have to be penetrated and the difficulty of maintaining such a system after a fire or an explosion.
Some frustrated
Still, safety advocates have been frustrated that many mines have little or no way to talk to miners trapped by an accident, such as the one at Darby in which five miners died as a result of the explosion or during an attempt to escape.
Stickler gave no details yesterday about the alternatives that might be available to fulfill the requirements of the law, or when they might be put in place.
But the agency's Web site said MSHA officials have observed testing or demonstrations of 31 communications and tracking systems as of April 30 and have met with representatives of 61 companies.
Stickler also said the agency was moving forward on another communications requirement of the law -- that mines have devices to track miners underground.
_______________________________ U. S. Mine Rescue Association http://www.usmra.com
MINER Act improves safety, but won’t prevent Crandall Canyon-type disasters
Mineweb - London,England,UK
Author: Dorothy Kosich
June 17, 2008
Two years ago, the U.S. Congress enacted the MINER Act in response to the Sago mine disaster in West Virginia, which trapped 13 miners, killing 12 of them.
Mine Safety and Health Administration chief Richard Stickler, Assistant Labor Secretary, told reporters Monday that he considered the act a success in improving mine safety, which has set an unprecedented pace in the publication of six final rules in only 18 months.
The agency has proposed four additional rules including one published Monday in the Federal Register proposing requirements for refuge alternatives in underground coal mines, and the training of miners in their use.
Since the enactment of the MINER Act, Stickler noted that mine operators have submitted emergency response plans for all underground coal mines in the United States.
In the past 18 months, the agency has issued 700 violations relative to MINER Act non-compliance of which 50 are classified as flagrant violations-some carrying a maximum penalty of $220,000, he said. However, a number of those violations are now tied up in appeals and challenges by mining companies. As a result, the number of attorneys in the solicitor's office has been increased to deal with those appeals, Stickler explained.
Meanwhile, 41 MSHA employees have been trained by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Red Cross as family liaisons to assist miners' families during incidents.
Stickler said 300 coal mine enforcement personnel, along with 100 metal and non-metal mine inspectors have been hired and have 12 to 18 months of underground training. Another 75 trainees are expected to graduate this summer. However, some of these trainees will also be used to fill vacancies in specialists' positions. In addition, $10 million has been budgeted by the Bush Administration for overtime and travel expenses to expedite mine inspections.
In addition, MSHA has a Memorandum of Understanding with the Bureau of Land Management to assist in mine safety enforcement, according to Stickler.
In January, the House approved a Supplemental Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act, S-MINER, which mandates mines to have better communications equipment now instead of by 2009 as called for in the original MINER Act. Nevertheless, Stickler explained some of the required communications still do not exist. However, he added, MSHA is working with NIOSH to determine what best available communications technology for underground coal mines is.
Sen. Robert Byrd, D-West Virginia, told the Register-Herald newspaper that MINER Act has both a positive and a negative side. Since the law was enacted coal miners and their families have questioned the slowness in achieving reforms in underground mines, he noted, adding some workers still not have adequate emergency breathing devices.
"We have to stay tough when it comes to mine safety," Byrd said. "Mines are no place for flinty regulation enforcement. We have seen the consequences of inaction."
"We painfully relearned many lessons from the tragedies at Sago and Alma. But the most important lesson is that we cannot protect the lives of our coal miners on the cheap," Byrd told the Register-Herald.
Stickler admitted to reporters Monday, however, that no provisions in the MINER Act would directly have prevented a Crandall Canyon disaster in Utah.
In a statement last month, United Mine Workers of America International Cecil Roberts declared, "Further congressional action to prevent tragedies like Crandall Canyon from happening is needed, and needed now. Rep. [George] Miller and others in the House have taken the first step by passing the Supplemental MINER - or S-MINER - Act. I urge the Senate to take up this critical legislation without delay, so that America's miners will at least have some sense that their government does, in fact, care about whether they live or die."
_______________________________ U. S. Mine Rescue Association http://www.usmra.com
I'm troubled by Mr Stickler's comments that the technology for two-way
wireless technology doesn't exist yet. The MineTracer system listed on
the MSHA web site under Wireless Mesh Communications and/or Tracking
Systems has been in operation for over a year in West Virginia. The
system is available today.
Operators can have a system that complies with the act as it is written
today. Visits to observe the MineTracer system are encouraged.
--- In MineRescue@yahoogroups.com, "USMRA" <usmra@...> wrote:
>
> Tech problems block use of wireless in mines
> Louisville Courier-Journal - Louisville,KY,USA
> June 17, 2008
>
> WASHINGTON -- On the second anniversary of the signing of landmark
coal-mine safety legislation, the top federal mine regulator
acknowledged yesterday that at least one of its requirements won't be
met.
>
> Richard Stickler, acting head of the Mine Safety and Health
Administration, said the technology for two-way wireless communications
underground -- which the law said should be in place for emergencies by
next June -- doesn't exist yet.
>
> "I can't predict the future . (but) we don't see this technology at
this time," Stickler told reporters in a conference call.
>
> The 2006 law does allow for alternatives, and Stickler said MSHA and
the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health are working on
some.
>
> Overall, he said his agency has been diligent in implementing the law,
but the Bush administration continues to oppose additional safety
legislation.
>
> Critics said MSHA has had to be pushed to make the safety improvements
that have been put in place.
>
> "It's been more reactionary than proactive," said Tony Oppegard, a
former state and federal mine-safety regulator who is now a Lexington
attorney.
>
> "Under (Labor) Secretary Elaine Chao's watch, MSHA has failed to put
the safety of workers first," said Aaron Albright, spokesman for Rep.
George Miller, a California Democrat who is chairman of the House
Education and Labor Committee. "Pressure from miners and the Congress
has been the only thing to move Secretary Chao to act. There is much
more to be done."
>
> Miller was a chief sponsor of the 2006 law, called the MINER Act,
which boosted fines for safety violations and required more oxygen
supplies for miners and stronger underground seals to prevent deadly
explosions.
>
> The law was passed after fatal blasts at the Kentucky Darby mine in
Harlan County and two accidents in West Virginia that killed a total of
19 miners. President Bush signed the bill on June 15, 2006.
>
> In January the House passed Miller's follow-up legislation that would
give MSHA more enforcement powers; require more stringent regulation of
retreat mining; provide for independent investigations of accidents in
which more than one miner is killed; and mandate new coal-dust monitors
for miners.
>
> "There are certain provisions that would enhance and improve safety,
but also provisions in that we think would not improve safety," Stickler
said.
>
> Oppegard called that stance "extremely disappointing."
>
> 'Disingenuous'
> "It strikes me as somewhat disingenuous to take credit or crow about
what you've done with regards to the MINER Act, which are directives
from Congress, on the one hand, and on the other hand he won't support
an even stronger law that would provide more protections for miners,"
Oppegard said.
>
> During the conference call, Stickler said his agency has published new
rules to make underground mine seals stronger, improve mine rescue
teams, boost penalties for safety violations, provide more air to miners
and add lifelines miners can follow out of mines.
>
> The agency also is proposing a rule that allows for three different
methods of providing refuges for trapped miners.
>
> The Government Accountability Office, the nonpartisan auditing arm of
Congress, said in April that MSHA has been inconsistent in specifying
what should be in mines' emergency response plans. Enforcement of safety
laws also varied widely in different parts of the country, the GAO said.
>
> Stickler said yesterday: "There is no doubt in my mind we've tried to
do our very best to implement all provisions as fast as we could."
>
> MSHA now has 750 mine inspectors, up from 587 in mid-2006, he said.
That's the highest number since 1994.
>
> The hirings were the result of special budget language sponsored by
Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va.
>
> Stickler said "MSHA has taken a more aggressive approach on
enforcement," including issuing nearly 700 citations for violations of
the new safety law.
>
> The agency also has issued more than 50 citations for "flagrant
violations," which can carry a maximum fine of $220,000.
>
> But MSHA's workload has increased because some mine operators are
challenging every proposed penalty, Stickler said. More than 200
operators are contesting all of the safety violations for which MSHA has
cited them, he said.
>
> "It appears to me they're deliberately abusing the system and creating
a backlog that is making it difficult for MSHA and everyone involved,"
Stickler said.
>
> The wireless communications systems required by the 2006 law are
difficult to put in place because of the topography involved in
underground coal mines, the depth of rock that might have to be
penetrated and the difficulty of maintaining such a system after a fire
or an explosion.
>
> Some frustrated
> Still, safety advocates have been frustrated that many mines have
little or no way to talk to miners trapped by an accident, such as the
one at Darby in which five miners died as a result of the explosion or
during an attempt to escape.
>
> Stickler gave no details yesterday about the alternatives that might
be available to fulfill the requirements of the law, or when they might
be put in place.
>
> But the agency's Web site said MSHA officials have observed testing or
demonstrations of 31 communications and tracking systems as of April 30
and have met with representatives of 61 companies.
>
> Stickler also said the agency was moving forward on another
communications requirement of the law -- that mines have devices to
track miners underground.
>
> _______________________________
> U. S. Mine Rescue Association
> http://www.usmra.com
>
> Visit our Safety Training Material Repository at
> http://www.usmra.com/repository/
>
> And join our NEW Discussion Forum at
> http://minerescue.freeforums.org/
>
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