Mining has always been a dangerous occupation. Even through safety improvements in the industry, workers in underground tunnels are subject to risk; the history of mining disasters demonstrates that mining may never become completely free of periodic catastrophes. Mining regulators tend to increase efforts after a mining disaster, and public attention to each incident sheds light on what companies and governments can do to minimize danger in risky occupations.
Early Incidents
The mining disaster at Scofield, Utah was the worst ever up to that time. 200 miners were killed on May 1, 1900 when an explosion collapsed a Pleasant Valley Coal Company tunnel. Even in the earliest incidents, mining disasters would trigger government investigations; unlike later catastrophes, the Scofield disaster had no subsequent impact on mining safety, since Utah state officials cleared Pleasant Valley of wrongdoing. The company would remain in business until 1923.
A disaster at Fraterville, Tennessee on May 19, 1902, would kill 216 miners, the youngest of whom was just 12 years old. Public officials found that the mine had "inadequate ventilation," causing an accumulation of gas and the subsequent explosion, though mine superintendent George Camp would eventually be acquitted of negligence.
Monongah, West Virginia
At the West Fork River in Monongah, West Virginia, a mining explosion killed 362 on December 6, 1907. Significant for being the worst mining disaster in the U.S. to date, the Monongah incident also finally spurred government action. Congress created a federal regulator, the U.S. Bureau of Mines, though the legislation took three years to craft. Still, mine owners, who were generally wealthy and had political influence, continued to successfully avoid major safety reforms.
Reforms
If the Monongah disaster at least brought national attention to the dangers of mining, a catastrophe just 5 miles away, in Farmington, West Virginia, would help bring about major reforms. In 1968, an explosion and fire at a mine in Farmington killed 78; U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson's administration would introduce mining safety reform, called the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act, that would be eventually be signed by President Richard Nixon.
Effects
The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act helped the mining industry to become less dangerous. Underground mines now had four inspections per year. Miners could actually request federal inspections, and the law granted benefits to miners with black lung, a disease that affects coal miners. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter strengthened the safety standards by adding metal and nonmetal miners to the protections for coal miners. This was in part influenced by the Sunshine Mine fire in Kellogg, Idaho in 1972, a metal mine that caught fire, killing 91.
Future
The Internet Age has brought about promising new technologies to combat mining safety problems. The Mine Emergency Response Interactive Training Simulation, created by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, allows mining company managers to work with government officials in simulated mine disasters, to assess readiness. In addition, the Mining Safety and Health Administration reports that 2008 saw a record low in annual mining fatalities, 53, stressing that regulatory standards help the mining industry prevent accidents.
Tags: mining disaster, West Virginia, Coal Mine, Coal Mine Health, coal miners, Federal Coal, Federal Coal Mine
