For the first year on the job, a new underground coal miner wears a red-colored hardhat to signal to everyone on the crew that he (or she) is a rookie. These so-called “red hats” receive 40 hours of safety training before they are allowed to take on any mining duties, on topics ranging roof control, mine gases, evacuation procedures, […]
MSHA reports: “At approximately 8:39 pm (EDT) Thursday night, a significant bounce occurred at the mine. Three rescue workers are confirmed dead, including one MSHA inspector. Six others remain hospitalized. At this time, all rescue efforts have been suspended.” The MSHA inspector who was fatally injured in this latest coal-pillar rockburst was Mr. Gary Jensen, […]
Join an on-line chat at 1:00 pm today (8/16) on technology to locate trapped miners. On day 11, the rescue efforts continue for the six trapped miners at a Utah coal mine. A third borehole (2″) punctured the mine workings yesterday afternoon to allow a camera to be lowered into the mine to scan for any sign of the […]
The Salt Lake Tribune reports that a third borehole has reached a cavity in the Crandall Canyon mine, but efforts to lower a microphone into it have failed so far. The Tribune has the most extensive coverage of the rescue efforts, and in a blog post yesterday Arianna Huffington contrasts its performance to that of […]
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has released its preliminary numbers on 2006 fatal occupational injuries, and Katherine Torres at Occupational Hazards reports on what they show. The rate of fatal work injuries declined slightly, from 4 per 100,000 in 2005 to 3.9 in 2006, but some industries showed increases: â¢Â The 47 coal mining fatalities, many […]
by Tom Bethell                                                                                                     (Posted with permission from The Mountain Eagle, Whitesburg, KY) As we go to press, six coal miners remain trapped in Murray Energyâs Crandall Canyon Mine, near Huntington, Utah. Nothing has been heard from them since a portion of the mine caved in on August 6, and the heartbreakingly slow efforts to reach […]
In “Memo shows mine already had roof problems,” (Aug 12) the Salt Lake Tribune‘s Robert Gehrke first reported on a history of rockbursts at the Crandall Canyon mine.* I first learned this on NPR‘s Morning Edition (Aug 14) when Frank Langfitt reported that in March of this year, another severe rockburst occurred at the Crandall Canyon coal mine. Apparently, no […]
OSHA’s Area Office in Pittsburgh issued 46 citations, including 16 repeat violations and one willful against Shane Felter Industries, Inc. of Uniontown, PA. A proposed penalty of $166,400 accompanied the citations.  OSHA’s Area Director Robert Szymanski said: “Shane Felter Industries’ refusal to remove hazards ultimately threatens the safety and health of its employees. It is imperative […]
In Indiana on Friday, three men died from a 500-foot plunge down an air shaft being built at a coal mine: Christopher Todd Richardson, 38, of Cedar Bluff, Virginia Daniel McFadden, 66, of Greybull, Wyoming Jarred A. Ashmore, 23, of Henderson, Kentucky The Associated Press reports:
Ellen Smith, Managing Editor of Mine Safety and Health News reported at 5:30 pm (EST, 8/12) on the status of the operation to rescue the six trapped miners at the Crandall Canyon mine in Emery County, Utah. She wrote that MSHA Assistant Secretary Richard Sticker, said they are dealing with “the most difficult ground conditions — ever” and […]