Rusted Sky

And it's kind of interesting.

Sago Mine safety record not spotless, but new owners showed improvement

Four times in the last six months, federal inspectors raised concerns about an accumulation of "combustible" materials at the Sago coal mine in West Virginia and asked the owner specifically to clean up any coal dust, an explosive powder that is highly susceptible to spontaneous combustion when dispersed.

A closer look at the owner's safety record shows that International Coal Group's operation of the Sago mine was not spotless. But if anything, ICG improved safety performance in the last quarter of 2005 after acquiring the mine from Anker West Virginia Mining Co. last year.

"It appears under the new leadership there has been a significant improvement to the safety, at least it appears so," said Larry Grayson, chair of the mining and nuclear engineering department at the University of Missouri-Rolla.

And then there's a rather interesting interview on NPR -

a title="NPR : Mining Accident Raises Broader Safety Questions" href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5125860">NPR : Mining Accident Raises Broader Safety Questions

We read about mining disasters in far-flung places like China. And many of us think, 'Oh, that couldn't happen here.' Have things really improved much in the United States in recent years?
In fact, mining safety in the U.S. has improved dramatically since passage of the Mining Safety and Health Act of 1977. (In that year, 272 miners died on the job, versus just 56 in 2003.)
Trouble is, no matter how many safety measures we introduce into the workplace, the dangers are recreated every 24 hours. You're basically building a new workplace with every new place you explore: new roof problems, new support systems, new sources of methane gas. It's not like a factory where you can identify a safety problem, rope it off and fix it. Miners have to be a lot more vigilant than other workers.

I know it's tempting to blame OSHA for a lack of oversight, Bush, the mine owners and so on - but coal mining is about the most hazardous occupation in the US today. I think it's a testament to the inspections and safety rules that are in place that there's so FEW accidents. According to MSNBC, mining tops the list as the most perilous industry - yet deaths in mining are down 22% from 2001.

UPDATE:

MSHA Mine Violations

The mine ID # is 4608791, do a search on that and it'll pull up a page where you can get info on inspections and violations.

As far as the violations go, what you want to do is look in the STANDARD column, make a note of any suffixes like (a)(1) or(e)(3), and click the link to the relevant reg. For example, the first one - 77.1110 - links to the following problem.

Firefighting equipment shall be continuously maintained in a usable and operative condition. Fire extinguishers shall be examined at least once every 6 months and the date of such examination shall be recorded on a permanent tag attached to the extinguisher.

The second, to 77.205(b) had the following:

(b) Travelways and platforms or other means of access to areas where persons are required to travel or work, shall be kept clear of all extraneous material and other stumbling or slipping hazards.

And then there's 75.1403:

Other safeguards adequate, in the judgment of an authorized representative of the Secretary, to minimize hazards with respect to transportation of men and materials shall be provided.

It's an interesting look into a field that I, for one, knew little about.

J.