04-06-2010, 06:16 AM
0
my heart goes out to the families, what a difficult and dangerous way to support their families. and my opinion is that profits STILL come before lives.
Recent Major Fatal Mining Incidents, United States:
- Dec. 30: 1970: 38 die in a coal explosion at Finley Coal No. 15 and 16, Hyden, Ky.
- Feb. 26, 1972: 114 die in a coal dam failure at Buffalo Mining Co., Saunders, W.Va.
- May 2, 1972: 91 die in a fire at Sunshine Mining Company in Kellogg, Idaho.
- Dec. 19, 1984: 27 die in a coal fire at Wilberg Mine, Orangeville, Utah.
- Sept. 23, 2001: 13 die in a coal explosion at No. 5 Mine, Brookwood, Ala.
- Jan. 2, 2006: 12 die in a coal explosion at Sago Mine, Buckhannon, W.Va.
- May 20, 2006: 5 die in a coal explosion at Darby Mine No. 1, Millsboro Ky.
- Aug. 6, 2007: 6 die in coal accident at Crandall Canyon Mine, Huntington, Utah
More than 100,000 coal miners have been killed in accidents in the United States since 1900, but the number of fatalities has fallen sharply in recent decades, according to the Mine Safety and Health Administration. As late as the 1940s it was not unusual to have more than 1,000 mining deaths a year; in 2009 there were 35 mining deaths, according the agency.
But mining remains dangerous work, as the disasters that seem to befall small Appalachian towns every few years attest. And there are persistent alarms raised about mines using antiquated safety equipment, lax enforcement and a culture that discourages safety complaints.
Recent Major Fatal Mining Incidents, United States:
- Dec. 30: 1970: 38 die in a coal explosion at Finley Coal No. 15 and 16, Hyden, Ky.
- Feb. 26, 1972: 114 die in a coal dam failure at Buffalo Mining Co., Saunders, W.Va.
- May 2, 1972: 91 die in a fire at Sunshine Mining Company in Kellogg, Idaho.
- Dec. 19, 1984: 27 die in a coal fire at Wilberg Mine, Orangeville, Utah.
- Sept. 23, 2001: 13 die in a coal explosion at No. 5 Mine, Brookwood, Ala.
- Jan. 2, 2006: 12 die in a coal explosion at Sago Mine, Buckhannon, W.Va.
- May 20, 2006: 5 die in a coal explosion at Darby Mine No. 1, Millsboro Ky.
- Aug. 6, 2007: 6 die in coal accident at Crandall Canyon Mine, Huntington, Utah
More than 100,000 coal miners have been killed in accidents in the United States since 1900, but the number of fatalities has fallen sharply in recent decades, according to the Mine Safety and Health Administration. As late as the 1940s it was not unusual to have more than 1,000 mining deaths a year; in 2009 there were 35 mining deaths, according the agency.
But mining remains dangerous work, as the disasters that seem to befall small Appalachian towns every few years attest. And there are persistent alarms raised about mines using antiquated safety equipment, lax enforcement and a culture that discourages safety complaints.