Mine Safety

Daniel Zwerdling on today’s NPR Morning Edition reported on mine safety and once again there is a clear example of how the Bush Administration favors industry at the expense of workers. As coal is mined it is placed in carts that are eventually moved out of the mine on rails. A great deal of coal dust is generated in the process. This is a known danger as the dust is similar to gunpowder and can easily explode. 30 years ago Congress passed the Mine Safety Act that required two tunnels in every mine: one for the coal and rails, the other for fresh air blown into the mine. This avoided the problem of air intensifying any fire that started. The Clinton Administration then added a provision that the rails be constructed with fire resistant material to further reduce the severity of fire.

Bush appointed an industry executive to head the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). He promulgated two rules: the first eliminated the need to change the rails and the second eliminated the need for separate tunnels. While MSHA admits that blowing forced air on a fire in a mine does exacerbate the situation, its defense is that they now insist on warning systems to alert the miners when a fire occurs. Why doesn’t this sound more reassuring if you are a miner 10,000 feet down the shaft?