The Militant - December 10, 2001 -- Deaths in coal mines on the rise

Vol.65/No.47 December 10, 2001

Deaths in coal mines on the rise
(front page)

BY TONY LANE
PITTSBURGH--Five fatal accidents in coal mines over the past month have brought the number of mine fatalities nationwide to 38 this year, equal to the total deaths in 2000. Company attacks on the United Mine Workers of America, a drive to produce more coal per man-hour, and cutting corners on safety are behind a steady rise in coal mining deaths from a low of 29 in 1998.

Four of the deaths in November have been in West Virginia, bringing to 13 the number of miners killed in the state this year. Three years ago the number of workers killed in West Virginia's mines was six.

The latest miner was killed and another seriously injured when they were conducting maintenance work on a stretch of track at the Consol-owned McElroy mine in northern West Virginia, the biggest coal producing mine in the state. They were hit by a vehicle traveling on the tracks, according to the company. The other fatalities have been in the southern West Virginia coalfields.

Six of the 13 fatalities this year have involved roof or rib (mine wall) falls. A report issued this month calls for action around underground mining roof control plans. Davitt McAteer, former chief of the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), issued the report, which was commissioned by West Virginia governor Robert Wise. McAteer's report calls for the elimination of the use of three-foot roof bolts to secure the roof of the mine shaft. According to the report, West Virginia is the only state that allows roof bolts this short. The report also questions the use of the retreat pillar mining method, where blocks of coal left to hold up mine roofs are removed.

The report also takes aim at how the growing use of subcontractors by the mining bosses hides the real safety record of specific mines. A growing number of mining companies are using subcontractors in order to weaken the unions, get around the prevailing wage scale, and sidestep safety measures and obligations for benefits.

Because the mine owners don't list workers employed by contractors as employees, the accidents usually aren't recorded against them. Contractors are often used to carry out support work for coal mining crews. Safety training for their employees is lacking. A MSHA report in 1996 found that workers employed by contractors are victims of about 30 percent of all fatal accidents and probably 30 percent of all nonfatal accidents at underground mines. They also account for 70 percent of all accidents at surface mines. McAteer's report proposes holding mine owners accountable for the actions of the subcontractors they hire.

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