Text version of the Militant, a socialist newspaper 
the Militant Socialist newspaper
about this site directory of local distributors how to subscribe new and in the next issue order bundles of the Militant to sell
news articles editorials columns contact us search view back issues
SOCIALIST WORKERS CAMPAIGN
The Militant this week
FRONT PAGE ARTICLES
Western coal miners: 'No 12 hours! We win!
UMWA strikers beat back concessions, ratify contracts
 
86,000 phone workers strike
 
Protests in Peru mark Fujimori inauguration
 
Minnesota meat packers defend their new union
FEATURE ARTICLES
Militant/Perspectiva Mundial fund launched
 
German bosses seek to catch up with U.S. rivals
 
forums
calendar
Submit Letter to the editor
Submit article or photo
submit forum
submit to calendar


A socialist newsweekly published in the interests of working people
Vol. 64/No. 32August 21, 2000

 
Utah coal mine blast kills two workers
 
BY JACK PARKER  
HELPER, Utah--On the morning of August 1, an explosion ripped through Willow Creek mine here, killing two miners and injuring eight others, two of them seriously. The crew of 10 had been operating a long-wall mining machine.

Around midnight a small fire broke out and all 10 miners tried to put it out. Before they were able to get the fire under control, the blaze ignited a pocket of methane gas. Killed in the explosion were Cory Nielson 28, a propman who had worked in the mine for 16 weeks, and Shane Stansfield, 29, a mechanic who had been at Willow Creek for 24 weeks.

Two other miners were flown to University Hospital in Salt Lake City: Tyson Hales, 21, and Kyle Medley, 27. Hales was listed in critical condition on August 8, with a closed head injury and burns, and Medley was in serious condition with multiple fractures and burns to his face and arms.

Hales and Medley were saved when Willow Creek's mine-rescue team ignored warnings and entered the mine to carry out the workers.

Willow Creek is a nonunion mine. It is managed by Cyprus Plateau Mining Corp., a subsidiary of RAG American Coal, one of the world's biggest coal producers. When in operation, the mine, which employs 325 workers, produces about 5 million tons of coal annually.

This was not the first safety problem at the mine. Willow Creek, which miners report has a reputation of being a gassy mine, was closed for a year beginning in November 1998 after methane gas ignited, causing a blaze that took 12 months to put out. The 46 miners who were working at that time managed to escape without serious injury. In December 1999, RAG resumed operations, but only recently had begun to mine the section where the August 1 fire and explosion occurred.

Records show that the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) cited Willow Creek management for 615 safety violations between October 1996 and the mine's last inspection, on July 30, 2000. MSHA deemed 286 of the violations "substantial and serious" and the fines exceeded $270,000. The rules infractions included lack of proper roof controls to prevent collapses of coal or rocks, and failure to test for explosive methane gas every 20 minutes where mining occurs.

To suffocate the fire, all five mine portals and the 120-foot ventilation shaft have been filled with dirt. RAG officials said they did not know how long it would take to extinguish the blaze, which carbon monoxide tests indicated was still burning.

MSHA inspectors said that it will be several days before they expect to release a preliminary report on their findings of the cause of the explosion.

Four miners have been killed in Utah so far this year, up from one in 1999. In a related development, Claud Butler, 45, a haul truck driver, was killed July 29 at Black Butte, a nonunion mine near Rock Creek, Wyoming. Butler ran off the road and was thrown from his vehicle. Miners at Black Butte have been working a substantial amount of overtime because of the UMWA strike in nearby Kemmerer. Coal from Black Butte has been used to fuel the PP&L power plant outside Kemmerer. Prior to the strike, PP&L burned coal from the Kemmerer mine.

 
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home