... an opportunity to highlight the preventable nature of most workplace accidents and ill health and to promote campaigns and union organisation in the fight for improvements in workplace safety. The slogan for the day is Remember the dead - Fight for the living.
Don Blankenship, the man ultimately in charge of Massey Energy's West Virginia mine where 29 workers died in an explosion April 5, assured financial analysts last week that safety is paramount in his operation.
Massey, the country's fourth largest mining company, issued a statement that same day asserting that a review of conditions in the Upper Big Branch mine uncovered no problems shortly before the blast that killed more workers than any other mine disaster in nearly four decades.
All that could only mean one thing, right? Massey did nothing wrong and bears no responsibility. So clearly the disaster was an act of God or an omission by workers. God killed them. Or they killed themselves.
...
That contention -- that God's hand or worker blunder caused a disaster -- is a bogus employer excuse that managers frequently dredge up. The supervisor of the Westray Mine in Canada, where 26 workers died in an explosion in 1992, did the same thing. A government-commissioned report on that catastrophe recounts that manager, Gerald Phillips, "blatently blamed the miners for the explosion." It's a refrain that might be repeated in the aftermath of the Tesoro refinery blast on April 2 that killed seven workers and the explosion on the Transocean Ltd. oil offshore oil drilling platform on April 20 that killed 11 workers.
It's a lie. And when workers die, it's a damned lie. Employers are responsible for maintaining safe working environments. Yet, across this country, 14 workers are killed on the job every day. The American people and their government must hold employers accountable. Or the workplace killing will never stop.
Amen, brother!
Safety regulations aren't just an extra expense on the bottom line; they're a matter of life and death for working people.
It was about a week ago that we last got together to talk about safety in coal mines, and we have some new developments in the story that deserve a bit more of your attention.
As we discussed last time, there are a huge number of hazards inherent in the operations of underground coal mines, and there are a series of “mitigators” that can be applied to reduce those hazards.
Ironically, the biggest hazard these miners face today might not be underground at all.
In today’s story we’ll consider the possibility that the most dangerous location in the mining industry might actually be at the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, where an enormous backlog in enforcement actions is keeping dangerous mines open that might otherwise be closed.
It’s a “bad news, good news” story—but it really does have a potential happy ending, and with a bit of pressure, we can actually make life a whole lot better for miners, and their families, all across the country.
It's depressingly clear, based on a recent spate of stories, that mine safety efforts in this country have become utterly dysfunctional.
In a nutshell, as last week's tragedy in West Virginia made all too obvious, fundamentally unsafe mines are allowed to remain in operation, endangering the lives of those who work within their dark confines.
Unfortunately, it looks like the corporatists have won another round in the Alabama Legislature, at least until next year. Do we have to wait for more Alabama coal miners to perish before modernizing safety rules in our mines? And where do our gubernatorial candidates stand on updating Alabama's mine safety laws?
Here is video of Agriculture and Industries Commissioner (and Democratic gubernatorial candidate) Ron Sparks speaking to the UMWA rally on March 25th.
"There's been absolutely too many casualties in our mines in the past fifty-something years. And I think it's time that we changed it. These laws haven't changed over fifty-something years, ladies and gentlemen. And folks, you have the courage to go in those mines every day and work for the men and women of this country, we ought to have the courage to let you come out safe to where you can go home to your children and your family every afternoon. I submit to you today that it's an honor to stand with you and to fight with you to make sure that we pass the laws to protect the workers of Alabama."
The other Democratic candidate for governor, Rep. Artur Davis (D, AL-07) provided this statement on the mine safety issue in Alabama.
“Alabama’s mining safety laws have not been substantially updated since 1947 and as a result, they do not offer Alabama coal miners the protections that they deserve: the heart-wrenching tragedies last week in West Virginia and at Jim Walter No. 5 in Brookwood, Alabama in 2001 could happen in any Alabama mine today. As Governor, I will make an overhaul of our mine safety laws a priority item in my legislative agenda. I will also recognize that the substandard regulations for miners in our state are one more example of an immoral calculation that protecting business interests matters more than protecting the well-being of men and women who do the hardest labor in our society. That old view of Alabama’s obligations will not last if I am Governor.”
Strong statements, from both candidates. I know the governor's office is not all-powerful in Alabama, but a governor who supports rather than opposes worker protections might just tip the scales toward action in the Legislature next session. Hopefully it won't take another tragedy to force members of the Alabama House and Senate to act on mine safety.
The recent tragedy in West Virginia reminds us that mining coal is a hard, dangerous and sometimes deadly job. When human lives are at stake, the standards of performance for all parties should be extremely high. That is not the case in Alabama where mine safety laws were not revised after a mine disaster that killed 13 in 2001. This is in stark contrast to other states where mining tragedies provided the impetus for West Virginia and Utah to update their mine safety laws.
Here's Al Henley of the Alabama AFL-CIO speaking to a United Mine Worker rally at the Alabama State House two weeks ago.
The bills in question are SB362 which has moved to the Senate floor and HB579 which is stalled in the House Commerce Committee. Chairman Frank McDaniel (D, Business) refuses to bring it up for a vote. Which side are our Legislators on? Are they concerned for the safety of miners or marginally higher profits for mine operators? Henley said:
It's plain old logic and common sense that these laws need to be changed. They need to be revised and everybody here knows that. ... It's obvious to me and it should be obvious to you that many of the Legislators in this building think they were elected to represent the rich folks. They're here to represent the business owners and they're here to represent the giant corporations.
...
Everybody here needs to know and understand one thing and that's many of the people in this State House and everybody across the street over there in that Capitol building are completely controlled by big business. The big business community has too much influence in state government, in city government, in county government, in fed government. The reason y'all are having trouble getting a reasonable, logical, common sense solution to your safety problems at work is the coal miner owners don't want to have to pay for it and they have too much influence in this building [points to State House] and too much influence in that building [points to Capitol] and that needs to change. You need to keep it in mind in June when you vote, keep it in mind in November when you vote. ... Vote for people that support working families in this state ... If we don't change something business is going to take over every aspect of what government does.
So, which side are our Legislators on? Probably not on the side of the coal miners, based on the way the Alabama House has treated this attempt to improve mine safety. Let's take a look at some financial information below the fold.
By now more or less everyone is aware that there has been a disastrous mining accident in West Virginia this week.
There are many people dead, and at the time this is written it is still possible that survivors might be found.
We don't know much about why these disasters happen, for the most part, and we don't really understand how to make things better.
Today, I'm here to fix some of that.
By the end of today's story, you'll understand a lot more about why people die in mines than you do now-and as an extra bonus, we'll also discuss a radical new way to bring market forces into the process of making mines safer.
On September 23rd, two explosions rocked the Jim Walter No. 5 underground mine in Brookwood, Alabama. Thirteen coal miners were killed in the explosions, twelve of whom had rushed into the mine to save their trapped co-workers. This is the single largest coal mining disaster in the United States since 1984.
Brookwood was the deadliest American mine disaster since 1984, but would not be the last. In 2006, twelve men were killed in an explosion at the Sago Mine in West Virginia and in 2007 another six died in collapses at the Crandall Canyon mine in Utah.
Who is concerned with preventing disasters like these and keeping coal miners safe? Nominally the Department of Labor and the Mine Safety and Health Association -- their enforcement depends on who's in charge in Washington -- and in Alabama a division of the Department of Industrial Relations handles inspections. Sometimes the government is genuinely looking out for workers, other times it seems like owners have the upper hand, but the entity that always champions the interests of coal miners is the United Mine Workers of America. They have been unyielding in their pursuit of safe working conditions for miners.
A couple of weeks ago I walked out the doors of the Alabama State House and ran smack into a UMWA rally consisting of several hundred miners and a man with a bullhorn -- who knew how to use it.
Who are we?
UNION!
What do we want?
SAFETY!
When do we want it?
NOW!
Senator Roger Smitherman later said they could hear that call in the Senate chamber all the way up on the 8th floor. Of course, since this is Alabama there were no TV cameras on hand, and apparently no reporters either. I can't find a word about this rally or issue of updating Alabama's mine safety laws in our state's traditional media. Here's video of the early part of the rally, featuring UMWA District 20 Vice-President Daryl Dewberry.
"As a result of having the deepest, gassiest mines on the northern continent with you brothers and sisters who travel 2000 feet underground and up to 20 miles from that straight down perimeter ... they don't have a clue as to what you do. I would ask the officials, they need to go down and spend a day with you. But they won't do it. They'll leave it to you with saying a prayer in the morning and hope you come home to your family at night. These laws have got to be changed."
"I submit to you that with the unique mines that we have here in the state of Alabama -- no others like it on this northern continent -- we need special laws to address ... and they may tell you these laws mirror the federal laws, but that's a lie. It doesn't. We have our own unique problems and we need to address them in our own unique way."
"We are sick and tired of waiting. We want our state mining law to protect our coal miners, TODAY!"
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