NYT/Reuters: W.Va. Miners Would Be Alive if Sago Seals Worked

[DeepModem Mom]

W.Va. Miners Would Be Alive if Sago Seals Worked
By REUTERS
Published: July 19, 2006

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The 12 coal miners who died in a West Virginia mining disaster in January would have lived had mine shaft seals worked as they should have, a report commissioned by the state's governor said on Wednesday....

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McAteer said his report recommends an increase to the current federal standard that requires that seals withstand a 20 per square inch (psi) force to 50 pounds per square inch -- a standard in place in several other countries.

The report also found the miners' breathing airpacks "were inoperative'' and that such equipment should be better tested and that mines need better evacuation plans, McAteer said.

At the press briefing, McAteer squarely blamed the mine's owner International Coal Group, which bought the mine months before the disaster, for the condition of the seals....

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But McAteer's report did not officially blame the company of any wrong-doing....

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-mining-sago.html

[Kagemusha]

1. I thought that the feds said that the airpacks WERE operative.

Well, well, well...

[me b zola]

2. How about regulation of the mines???

Since bush* has been installed as POTUS, the mine safety regulations have been gutted along with funding for inspectors. :grr:

Right after the Sago mine tragedy Canada had a mining accident. Their people were set up with airpacks that lasted 5 days and their mines also had numerous safe places for the miners to await rescue. All of their miners survived after several days of being trapped under similar circumstances.

We are only a shadow of who we used to be.

[DeepModem Mom]

3. Yep -- life is pretty cheap these days. nt

[spinbaby]

4. Some mines are safer than others

Many in my family work in mining. They consider the mines operated by the large companies that specialize in mining to be relatively safe. They also say that with the increase in the price of coal, some companies are suddenly getting into mining that don't know what they're doing--there are some very unsafe small mines out there and the government is no longer adequately supervising them.

[me b zola]

5. For your family member's sake...

...and for the sake of every US miner, there should be increased safety regulations and encforement of those regs. :grouphug: