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
Each month, the print issue of EHS Today brings you news and information about products and services that contribute to the safety of our workplaces. These are the products and services we featured in the March 2015 issue. Please check them out. Each description includes a link for more information!
The Works Progress Administration (renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) or WPA was the largest and most ambitious American New Deal agency, employing millions of unemployed people (mostly unskilled men) to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads.
But the WPA didn’t just employ workers to build bridges and roads. It also put artists to work designing and painting murals and posters.
A UK-based workplace law consultancy, Protecting.co.uk, has been gathering bizarre stories of employee dismissals, from the points of view of the workers and the managers who had to write out those pink slips.
While you can be fired for any number of reasons, it's obvious in most of these cases why the employee's services were no longer needed.
