PoliticsLabor DepartmentPoliticsGovernment Shutdown

Government Shutdown Hobbles Mine Safety Agency During Spate Of Worker Deaths

Three Miners Killed Since Government Shutdown Began
Open Image Modal
By 

Labor Reporter, HuffPost

|

WASHINGTON -- Just as the federal agency that oversees mine safety has had to furlough most of its workers, three U.S. miners have been killed on the job over three consecutive days -- a back-to-back-to-back tragedy not seen in more than a decade.

The three accidents occurred Friday, Saturday and Sunday, taking the lives of men from West Virginia, Illinois and Wyoming, respectively. The Mine Safety and Health Administration issued an alert Monday urging mining companies to follow the law.

There's no indication that the shutdown prevented inspections at any of the mines. In fact, a Labor Department spokesperson told HuffPost that investigators had been in two of the three mines just prior to the accidents, since the companies were already on targeted inspection lists. But the fatalities come at a time when the agency has been severely hobbled in carrying out its mission, having furloughed well over half its staff due to the shutdown.

"Three miners killed on three consecutive days is extremely troubling," Joseph A. Main, the head of MSHA, said in a statement Monday. "The fact that this occurred over the weekend, when there may be a greater expectation an MSHA inspector would not be present, is a red flag."

According to Main, the last time three miners were killed in three days was December 2002.

MSHA gave furlough notices to nearly 1,400 of the 2,355 employees who help enforce mine safety laws from West Virginia to Montana. The agency continues to investigate emergencies and fatal accidents like those that occurred over the weekend, and it's still carrying out targeted inspections on mining sites that have a history of hazards and accidents. (It also continues to run down safety tips, which can be reported at 1-800-746-1553.)

But at the same time, MSHA has had to stop entirely what it calls its "fours" and "twos" -- the quarterly inspections of underground mines and biannual inspections of surface mines. Those basic inspections were mandated by the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969.

Although MSHA hasn't released the names of the miners who were killed, two of them were identified by the Charleston Gazette and Mine Safety and Health News. Roger R. King, 62, of West Virginia, died after being struck in the head by a piece of machinery on Friday at a mine run by CONSOL Energy. Robert E. Smith, 47, of Illinois, was killed when a golf cart overturned at a mine run by White County Coal, a subsidiary of Alliance Resource Partners.

The worker who died at a surface mine in Wyoming has not been named.

Our 2024 Coverage Needs You

As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.

Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.

to keep our news free for all.

Support HuffPost

Before You Go

Major American Mine Disasters
Upper Big Branch(01 of08)
Open Image Modal
Twenty-nine miners died in an explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine on April 5, 2010. The mine, located in Montcoal, W.Va., was owned and operated by the Performance Coal Company, a subsidiary of Massey Energy.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration has said that sparks from a worn-out piece of machinery combined with a buildup of coal dust caused the accident. Massey Energy has continued to say that a buildup of methane gas caused the explosion.

At a public meeting detailing the federal investigation, Kevin Stricklin, coal administrator for mine safety and health at MSHA, said that there were two sets of books on mine conditions kept by Massey workers -- an accurate log that included safety problems, and a separate, watered-down version for federal and state inspectors to see.

The Upper Big Branch explosion was the worst U.S. coal mining disaster in 40 years. (credit:Getty)
Crandall Canyon Mine(02 of08)
Open Image Modal
On Aug. 6, 2007, six miners were trapped in the Crandall Canyon Mine in Huntington, Utah, after roof-supporting pillars failed and ejected coal over a half-mile area. Ten days later, three more people were killed by a subsequent collapse during the rescue effort.

According to the official accident investigation summary released by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the catastrophe was the result of "an inadequate mine design." Unsafe pillar dimensions and an poor engineering management review contributed to the collapse.

In the above photo, family and friends carry the the body of Dale Black -- one of the rescue team members -- to his burial site at Huntington City Cemetery. (credit:AP)
Darby Mine No. 1(03 of08)
Open Image Modal
On May 20, 2006, five miners were killed in an explosion at Darby Mine No. 1 in Holmes Mill, Kentucky. According to information released by the United States Mine Rescue Association, the explosion was the result of methane gas that was ignited by the cutting of a metal roof strap.

The miner who was working on the roof strap with a cutting torch had a functional methane detector tucked away in his pocket, a sign that it was not being used to check continuously for the potentially lethal gas. The USMRA also says a cutting torch should not have been used at the time. (credit:AP)
Sago(04 of08)
Open Image Modal
On Jan. 2, 2006, an explosion at a mine in Sago, W.Va., killed 12 workers and severely injured one. The 13 miners were forced to barricade themselves within the mine after the explosion -- caused by elevated levels of carbon monoxide and methane -- destroyed 10 seals used to separate a closed area of the mine.

Ben Hatfield, CEO of the International Coal Group, which owned the Wolf Run Mining Company that ran the Sago Mine, received criticism when the families of the fallen miners were falsely informed that the 12 men had lived. In an interview with NPR, workers and family members who were present when Hatfield broke news of the deaths described the scene as "chaos." (credit:Getty)
Scotia(05 of08)
Open Image Modal
In March 1976, a succession of explosions at the Scotia Mine in Oven Fork, Ky., claimed a total of 26 lives.

The first blast happened on March 9, killing 15 men. During rescue efforts on March 11, a second explosion killed 11 more.

Investigators concluded that both explosions were caused by the ignition of a methane-air mixture inside the mine. (credit:Brian Horton, AP)
Consol No. 9(06 of08)
Open Image Modal
An explosion at the Consol No. 9 mine in Farmington, W.Va, killed 78 people on Nov. 20, 1968. The explosion was followed by raging fires that brought rescue operations to a halt.

A memo from a federal investigator that surfaced in 2008 revealed that a safety alarm on a ventilation fan had been deliberately disabled before the explosion. The alarm, which hadn't been working for as long as 90 minutes before the blast, could have saved the lives of the 78 miners.

The tragedy at Farmington led to the passage of the federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act in 1969. That act paved the way for the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, the legislation that currently governs the Mine Safety and Health Administration's activities. (credit:AP)
Cherry Mine(07 of08)
Open Image Modal
On Nov. 13, 1909, a fire killed hundreds of workers in a coal mine in Cherry Hill, Illinois.

According to reports from the United States Mine Rescue Association, kerosene torches were used that day after the mine's electrical system broke down. Hay brought into the mine to feed mules that worked underground caught fire after being parked under one of the torches.

The fire quickly spread, causing the deaths of 259 men and boys who worked in the mine. (credit:AP)
Monongah Nos. 6 And 8(08 of08)
Open Image Modal
On Dec. 6, 1907, explosions occurred at a pair of nearby mines in Monongah, West Virginia, killing 362 men and boys. The blast could be felt as far as eight miles away.

It wrecked the mine's ventilation system, allowing toxic gas to fill the area and hinder rescue efforts. Though investigators aren't certain of the cause of the explosion, it was probably started by the ignition of firedamp -- combustible gas made up mostly of methane -- and coal dust within the mine. (credit:AP)
Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip