The tragic explosion of the Sago mine in West Virginia on 2 January 2006 that killed twelve people dead and another permanently disabled, it is still later, for a rational explanation over 1 year. The disaster captured the interest of the American public and fostered outrage on the part of legislators and bureaucrats alike, while coal mining operators ran for cover.
For not only the International Coal Group, Inc., which owns and operates the Sago Mine is the poster child for unsafeMining process, was the source of questions that have not been addressed publicly exposed for decades, while the lives of the miners remained in danger.
Questions linger and see why existing federal and state safety laws have been overlooked by government agencies and regulations bypassed by the coal industry. But it was a knee-jerk reaction to other federal laws through the halls of Congress and various state houses where new laws have been in the mining states, which plunged lost adoptMiners in 2006.
The direct cause of the Sago Mine explosion is not yet to be confirmed by the State of West Virginia, the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), the United Mine Workers Association (UMWA) and independent commissions with reports supposedly forthcoming. In 2006 there were the largest percentage increase in U.S. coal mining deaths in 107 years, the industry's highest number since 1995, and more than twice that of the 22 in 2005. However, explanations for such an increasevary, depending on which party makes it available.
This writer wrote an extensive report one year ago in terms of background, federal regulation of mining, the lack of enforcement of the government, deregulation of the industry over the past decades and accelerated growth of the industry, these are all recent posts factors to the decline in mining safety.
And although such may help to give a historical context of the dysfunction, it offers noTrust, whether coal mining is functionally in a better place 1 year after Sago. Increased awareness of negligence, whether blind or intentional, is the first step towards more improvement, but there is much more necessary to ensure miners and their families, their lives are less at risk and will remain a priority.
Initial reports from the West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training (WVMHST), the International Coal Group, Inc., the independent and MSHAStudies commissioned to cite as the Mine Safety Technology and Training Commission, factors to the loss of life in the Sago Mine.
But to remain without substantial scientific evidence, 3 lightning strikes, the official source of ignition of methane gas caused the explosion. And so it remains purely speculative and without foundation to mining experts and scientists alike. It's is like a bolt of lightning could travel about two miles and 900 feet below the earth through twists and turns onTowards a cordoned-off area where the miners were, and the possible cause of explosion.
In addition, the shaft seals have been used for the walls are not produced with materials to withstand the minimum required 20 pounds per square inch (psi). However, the ongoing explosion in Sago 95 was psi. Engineers are now experimenting with new deal psi composite materials capable of about 95. To date, there is no credible material to such an explosion although the MSHA amended Handlethe demand for my poems to 50 psi in 2006.
It was the loss of life at Sago Mine and the two subsequent West Virginia coal mining fatalities, but weeks after Sago, 19 January 2006 in a fire at Aracoma Mine, caused by the disaster at Darby Mine No. 1, followed in Harlan County, Kentucky, of which 5 more lives on the 20th May 2006 took place in the expedited federal Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act conducted in 2006. President George W. Bush signed it into law on 15 June 2006.And executed only a few weeks after the Sago Mine explosion of West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin new mining laws, 26 January 2006, which followed his order for a special investigation by the State of West Virginia into the causes of the Sago disaster.
The 7th February 2006, the WVMHST announced the provisions of the emergency regulations imposed by the legislature. These included the provision of temporary shelter at 1000 meters, where supplies of coal miners dig, control of air daily andReporting the results to the state, installation of caches of emergency air supplies amounting to 30 minutes walking time, wireless communication devices can reach the surface through text, voice and location.
Likewise, Kentucky adopted legislation which came into force 12th July 2006, as they suffered a loss of 16 miners in 2006. The law includes such changes required, as my manager, a serious injury or death of public officials to report within 15 minutes, requires 2 pilotsPacks for each miner and provides for the flight exercises will be carried out, all 90 days. Kentucky now has the power say that the operator of the violation and fine of 2 to 3 increased the number of underground inspections annually.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Congress quickly cobbled together its own revised mine safety regulations, the first since 1996, after the hearings on Capitol Hill in January 2006 after the Sago Mine explosion and Aracoma mine fatalities.
The FederalChanges include a 2 hour emergency supply of air per miner, plus caches of air packs with an additional 2 hours of air per miner. Previously, only 1 hours of air per miner was required. Mine operators have a disaster within 15 minutes report, whereas previously there was no time limit. Two separate and protected communications are required. So far, only one was needed. Wireless communications and miner tracking systems are required to be operational within three years15. June 2006.
In addition, two experienced rescue teams have mining accidents and respond within 1 hour to the last 2 hours against the development and training of emergency and evacuation plans were adopted. The MSHA also has about two dozen more federal mining inspectors and the law mandates a change in its violation fee structure. Unfortunately, there is still less than the federal inspectors had the U.S. in 1997.
The federal government is now herethe Authority at the request of the arrangement for shutting down the mines, which have refused to pay final injury. But the appeals process remains lengthy and during this process mines may remain open indefinitely, regardless of aggravated negligence. And the sum of the penalties remain benign or seemingly small for an industry that set the historical record revenue in just the first nine months of 2006.
"Dramatic changes in our mine safety laws will be protected only if our miners, MSHA's display in realTeeth in the implementation and enforcement of our new requirements, "this according to Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WVA) on Capitol Hill with the MSHA in the first week in December 2006. He and Senator Robert Byrd (D-WVA), both primarily responsible for the amended Federal Mining Law Act of 2006, met with the MSHA and bi-partisan committee to ensure industry compliance with the new law, and ask the agency whether it has enough resources to implement the provisions of the new Mining Safety Act and its implementingMeasures.
From January 2007 there are no new air packs available. But I think they have the new system operators as the law only content requires purchase orders, not the entrance of the air packs, as proof of compliance. Mine operators have been told that the air packs on their backs in order for 1 more year, if a German producer of 6500 units is easily accessible. And the self-contained Self-rescuers (SCSR) are the same type of equipment used since 1977, when the first majorChanges in the underlying mining safety laws were enacted.
But the strengthening seals, improving breathing technology, building refuge chambers and creating communications and tracking technologies have been appropriated so far only 10 million U.S. dollars for the necessary research and technical advice, and thus remain to be implemented. And again a new round of congressional hearings on mining safety, was named in 2007, this time by Congressman George Miller (D-CA), the new chairman of theHouse Committee on Education and the workforce.
Idly standing by waiting for the federal government to fund the necessary changes in the law or waiting for mine operators to in the meantime, the police are both unrealistic and foolish premises. J. Davitt McAteer, former MSHA had (1994-2000) and now as an expert West Virginia Governor Manchin, believes that "standard steps or common sense, while the industry waits for technology to be improved, are nottaken. "What caused the explosion and what caused the disaster, according to McAteer, are different.
The lack of explosion-proof seals, which could be defective air packs, the lack of communication, delays in the rescue response and non-existent tracking capabilities were a precautionary measure, have been made with the objective of long ago. And Cecil E. Roberts, president of the UMWA has called on MSHA to regulate evacuations during the approach of electrical storms, as long as issuesremain about the exact cause of the Sago Mine explosion.
Unfortunately, on 7 September 2006, Sago mine operator, ICG, Inc., was again cited in the WVMHST to provide the miners with defective SCSR breathing apparatus. The devices had faulty heating indicators. 6 out of 50 were exposed to temperatures above 130 ° F. Disturbingly, said injury was known publicly only served three months after her.
And lost already in this young 2007, two miners in West Virginiatheir lives on 13th January 2007 as a result of a roof collapse at the Brooks Run Mining Co. 's Cucumber, WVA me. The streams of federal mine inspectors has been cited 65 times in the year 2006, with fines of only $ 5,000.00. Although mine operators have authorities immediately in accordance with the new mining law, little else has changed in the period of 1 year. For as Cecil Roberts continues to preach: "If you put production over safety, tragedies like this are all too oftenthe result. "
Copyright © 2007 Diane M. Grassi
