 by Susan F. Wood, PhD  The last week of August is full of anniversaries for me, both public and personal. On August 24, it has been one year since the partial approval of Plan B emergency contraception over-the-counter (OTC) for those over 18 years old. Two days later on August 26 is the 87th anniversary […]
Four months ago, Mr. Dale Jones, 51 and Mr. Michael Wilt, 38 were killed in a massive highwall collapse at a surface coal mine near Barton, Maryland. The two miners were buried under 93,000 tons of rock, and it took rescue crews three days to recover the men’s bodies.  This week, MSHA assessed a monetary penalty of $180,000 against the mine […]
The Mountain Eagle’s Tom Bethell pulls no punches in today’s editorial with an in-your-face critique of the coal industry and their investment (not!) in safety technology. He writes: “Name five U.S. coal companies that have generously supported research to develop a two-way PED, hardened wireless two-way phone systems, and a tracking system capable of instantly locating […]
Mr. Eleazar Torres-Gomez, 46, was killed at an Oklahoma Cintas laundry plant on March 6, 2007, when he was dragged into an industrial dryer because of an unguarded conveyor. Federal OSHA investigated the fatality and, this week, proposed a $2.78 million penalty for, among other things, 42 willful violations of its lockout/tagout standard. OSHA’s Asst. Secretary […]
When MSHA’s Gary Jensen, 53, died last week in a rockburst at the Crandall Canyon mine, it had been 26 years since a federal mine inspector had died in the line of duty. Mr. Jensen joined MSHA in 2001 as an inspector. He had worked for nearly 30 years as a coal miner, and was especially skilled in roof […]
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 […]
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 […]