Government figures show the Jim Walter mine owners have a record of disregard for the safety of miners. Between 1995 and 2001 the company was issued 2,987 safety violations and action orders from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), and fines of $594,276.

The Birmingham News reported that according to the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration, the No. 5 mine received "significant and substantial" roof-related safety citations and/or action orders four times since August 13.

"I raised total hell with all of Jim Walter management," miner Mike Boyd told the Tuscaloosa News. Boyd, who lost his brother in the explosion, said he warned the company six weeks prior to these deaths about dangerous pockets of methane accumulation. "I let them know what was going to happen. I told management they were going to blow some damn people up. It's like it fell on deaf ears."

The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), the union to which the miners belonged, called a memorial day September 27 in response to the deaths of the men. All union mines in the state will be shut down as UMWA miners refuse to work that day, and a gathering of miners and their supporters is planned at the local high school football stadium for that evening.

A press conference was held September 26 at Local 2368 union hall where UMWA president Cecil Roberts called for a vigorous investigation of the cause of the explosions. The union has established a memorial fund to provide for the families of the dead miners and has called for "the most thorough investigation you can imagine," according to Roberts.

Located about 36 miles from Birmingham, Blue Creek No. 5 is the deepest mine in the United States. It reaches 2,140 feet below the surface and is the largest of three mines operated by Jim Walter at present. It employed 326 workers, members of United Mine Workers of America Local 2368. The mine is now shut down indefinitely and miners have been laid off. They will have to file for unemployment compensation.

The explosion occurred when a large slab of rock from the roof of the mine fell onto a battery charger, setting off sparks. In order for the sparks produced from that fall to have caused a methane gas explosion of that magnitude, the area where the charger sat must have contained levels of highly combustible methane gas far exceeding the level permitted by law.

Of the 28 workers and four bosses in the mine at the time, three miners were killed immediately by the blast and a fourth died September 24 after being removed from the mine and rushed to the hospital. The other miners killed were caught in another blast while trying to rescue their co-workers.

When coal is mined, often methane gas is released. The only way to keep this gas from accumulating to deadly proportions is to continuously pass air through the mine. This ventilation flushes out the methane, or it can also be sucked out, called degassing. Regular "methane checks" are supposed to be conducted to ensure that workers are not exposed to dangerous levels of the explosive gas.  
 
Unsafe record
A miner who asked not to be identified said that methane levels in that part of the mine have been so high that production was stopped frequently in recent weeks.

Explosive quantities of gas were detected on at least one occasion on a track entry, he said, where proper volumes of air movement should have kept it dispersed and diluted to minute quantities. There were three small methane ignitions during September in the section of the mine where the first deadly explosion occurred September 23. This miner also reported that several workers at the mine complained recently about methane levels. "Somebody is going to have to answer for this. When people report conditions like this and [the company] still does not do right," he said.

Jim Walter president George Richmond admitted to knowledge of at least one of the ignitions that took place the week before. "I wouldn't call it a fire," he told the Charleston Gazette, "but it was some sort of problem."

One worker commented that the company never wants to stop production to fix any problems. "They just want to get coal out," he said.

In the last month alone, the mine has been cited by government agencies at least eight times for allowing too much explosive material to accumulate underground. According to federal mine-safety rules, "Coal dust, including float[ing] coal dust deposited on rock-dusted surfaces, loose coal, and other combustible materials, shall be cleaned up and not be permitted to accumulate in active workings, or on diesel powered and electric equipment therein."

Just over two weeks before the ignitions an MSHA inspector cited No. 5 with a violation of that rule. On August 29 MSHA cited the company for three more violations of that rule. On August 22 two more citations were made. Two more similar citations were made the day before that. Since January 1999, No. 5 has been cited 257 times for violation of that rule alone. Some 50 of those citations held.

In 1993 four workers were badly burned at this mine from an explosion. In 1995 the mine was temporarily shut down because of high methane concentrations. Also in 1995 a worker was crushed under a rock truck.

Jim Walter Resources other two mines have even worse safety violation records. No. 4 and No. 7 mines, from 1995 to 2001 incurred 3,806 and 4,137 citations respectively. Both mine sites had fines totaling around $1 million a piece in that time.

As we go to press miners, their families, and supporters here are preparing to attend a 6:30 p.m. gathering at the football stadium of Brookwood High School. The UMWA International has contributed $50,000 to the Miners Memorial Fund and is appealing to the labor movement for contributions.

Frank Forrestal is the Socialist Workers candidate for mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and a member of the United Mine Workers of America.
 
 
Related articles:
Mine deaths caused by profit drive
Coal miners respond to antiunion drive
 
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home