Soon after the announcement that Don Blankenship, former CEO of Massey Energy, was being indicted on federal charges related to the cover-up of unsafe conditions at mines operated by the company, MSHA announced that mining deaths are on target to reach an all-time low.
Soon after the announcement that Don Blankenship, former CEO of Massey Energy, was being indicted on federal charges related to the cover-up of unsafe conditions at mines operated by the company, MSHA announced that mining deaths are on target to reach an all-time low....More
In April 2010, an explosion ripped through the Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, W. Va., killing 29 miners. The explosion uncovered a history of safety violations and cover-ups, and led to arrests, indictments and trials for several employees of Massey Energy, many of who pointed the finger at Blankenship. Now, it’s his turn to have a day in court....More
A ground failure at Patriot Coal’s Brody Mine No. 1 cost two miners their lives on May 12. The men were trapped when the mine collapsed on top of them.
Eric D. Legg, 48, of Twilight, W.Va., and Gary P. Hensley, 46, of Chapmanville, W.Va., died when what MSHA called a “ground failure” and the state Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training called a “coal outburst” buried them in the mine. ...More
The Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission has overturned a decision by Administrative Law Judge Jerold Feldman regarding Wolf Run Mining Co.’s response to the Jan. 2, 2006, explosion that killed 12 miners at the Sago Mine in Upshur County, W.Va....More
MSHA issued 294 citations in October and November as part of its impact inspection program, which focuses on mines with “poor compliance history or particular compliance concerns.”
The agency launched the monthly inspections in April 2010, after an explosion at the Upper Big Branch-South Mine in West Virginia killed 29 miners.
In November, MSHA issued 174 citations, 11 orders and two safeguards at 12 coalmines on the impact inspection list....More
Following three coal mine fatalities during Oct. 4-6, MSHA is urging the mining industry to step up its compliance with safety and health regulations under the Mine Safety and Health Act and other applicable laws. Two fatalities occurred in underground mines in West Virginia and Illinois, and one fatality occurred at a surface mine in Wyoming....More
David Hughart, a former Massey Energy official, was sentenced Sept. 10 to 42 months in jail after pleading guilty to two federal charges: Conspiracy to impede the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and conspiracy to violate mine health and safety laws....More
Whistleblower laws exist to protect workers who have been fired or otherwise punished by their employers for complaining about working conditions. Reuben Shemwell, a welder in Kentucky, says he was fired in September 2011 by a division of Armstrong Coal for complaining about workplace safety conditions related to confined space entry and refusing to work on machinery that had not been de-energized. His former employer countered, claiming Shemwell was warned three times for excessive cell phone use and his employment subsequently was terminated....More
The results are in, and after receiving more entries than ever before, the Ladder Association’s Idiots on Ladders contest has ended and this year’s “biggest idiot on a ladder” has been crowned.
The 2014 Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index found that the most disabling workplace injuries and illnesses in 2012 amounted to nearly $60 billion in direct U.S. workers’ compensation costs. That’s right: $60 billion in direct costs to U.S. businesses.
Temperatures are plummeting across the country, some going as low as 40 below zero with wind chills. Even residents in states such as Florida and Georgia who normally don’t experience extreme cold are feeling winter’s bite.
Regardless of where you live, most of us likely will be exposed to severe winter weather at some point in our lives. Here are some sobering facts about cold weather’s impact on us:
They say the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, and as philosopher George Santayana noted, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
