by Stephen B.

Created on: May 25, 2010

Part of the job that every person agrees is the direct responsibility of the government is to protect people, even if it means protecting those people from themselves.  Federal inspectors would be responsible for the death of any involved in a mining disaster if they were allow a mine to operate without adhering to safety protocols.  Mining companies obviously have an incentive to keep mines safe and operating for morale and profit to remain constant, so it is quite futile for companies to object to being shut down by inspectors.  Yet, mining disasters keep happening and the main reason is due to safety violations, even if the mine is cited for violations it does not mean the inspectors can shut it down.

It would seem quite disappointing to workers that are out of work temporarily or permanently because the government had to close down a mine, but that could never compare to being dead from a disaster in a cave.  Mines have become safer over time due to labor strikes, whistleblowers, and new safety regulations since the early twentieth century, but still face the same problems as they always have: explosions and fires.  Collapses and floods have become almost non-existent in mining due to the technology and adherence of protocols.

Since 1951, there have been 61 mining disasters with five or more deaths, and since 1972 there have been 17, which points out that mining has become safer, but definitely not without risk. [1] Altogether there have been over 100,000 coal miners’ deaths in the US since 1900. [2] Miners rarely have the opportunity to object to the conditions in mines due to lack of education that many miners have.  Working in the coal mines of West Virginia is still one of the few jobs where you can support a family right out of high school. [3] In some cases, the miners will feel like they cannot speak out publicly or face being fired and not being able to find another job with a mining company. The latest disaster in West Virginia that took the lives of 29 miners has brought this to light, and the Massey Energy Company is now facing criminal investigations from the FBI for not following proper venting regulations and tampering with sensors that help detect critical levels of methane gas. [4]

The work force having so few options to speak out for themselves must be protected by the government to remain safe if companies are not willing to police themselves.  Energy companies are not strapped for cash, and it would be easy to think that they have given their employees the best working conditions available, but that is just not the case.  Life will go on if a mine is shut down by inspectors while proper safety equipment is installed, and mining accidents could dwindle even more if they would just follow along. As one miner puts it, "Accidents are caused. They don't just happen." [4]

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