A history of safety violations

The Crandall Canyon Mine, where six miners were trapped Monday after a collapse, has a history of safety or health citations.

Since early 2005, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has cited the Crandall Canyon Mine 176 times for alleged safety or health standard violations. Many of these were deemed "significant and substantial" problems.

For a violation to be considered significant and substantial, according to MSHA rules, mine inspectors must believe that "based upon the particular facts surrounding the violation, there exists a reasonable likelihood that the hazard contributed to will result in an injury or illness of a reasonably serious nature."

MSHA issued 33 citations against the mine this year, plus three orders. Of the citations, a dozen were labeled significant and substantial. These citations included a build-up of grease and dust that was combustible, and inadequate warning devices and escape ways.

Orders considered significant and substantial were issued regarding the dust accumulation and the availability of mine rescue teams. The mine was cited for not having at least two mine rescue teams available at all times when miners are underground.

The rescue-team order was issued on Feb. 1, and subsequent inspections did not indicate anything lacking in that regard, so presumably the citation was not justified or any problem in this area was corrected.

Since January 2004, the Crandall Canyon Mine has paid nearly $130,000 in MSHA-assessed fines. Nearly $4,000 in additional penalties have not been settled, and proposed penalties have not been assessed for 40 citations.

Some citations result in no penalties, while the highest since January 2004 was a $6,300 penalty paid in June 2004 resulting from an order concerning examining, testing and maintaining electrical equipment.

Another assessment for $6,300, resulting from a citation issued in February 2004, was marked "delinquent" in MSHA records. The regulation involves keeping a primary escapeway clear of certain equipment.

Walter Licht, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania who has researched mine accidents, said citations can be assessed because of minor or more serious concerns.

"One of the mine inspectors can be in a mine and see a wrench lying on the ground that somebody can trip on, so they get a citation," he said. But the significant citations are to be taken seriously, he said.

Attempting to put the citations into perspective, he said that other coal mines with disasters in recent years had in the neighborhood of 180 to 210 citations, compared with the 33 this year for Crandall Canyon Mine. In addition, he said, half of the violations at the other mines were serious, while fewer than half were in that category in the Utah mine.