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Despite Crandall deaths, citations pile up

So where is the news here? Mine owners don't give a hoot about the safety of the workers. Read your history books, children.

This is why we have laws, unions, safety inspections. Greed makes the owners...........ever more greedy.

They say you can't find the devil in the mines, but you can certainly see his footprints.

In lieu of the fines why doesn't MSHA shut down the mine and force the owners to pay standby wages to its workers while they correct any issues and have it inspeceted before miners are allowed back in the mines? Fines are a pittance and end up in litigation for years. But if production is shutdown it would get their attention to obey safety laws. Repeat offenses for same infraction should be cause to terminate any BLM and land lease agreements. Put the lease up for auction to highest bidder. MSHA is dropping the ball allowing repeat offenses and requires drastic measures, even loss of lease or license. This licenseing law is where states could promote safety in mining but doubtful as states don't want to care about miner or worker safety in licensing laws. States live in fear with threat and blackmailed licensing, especially in Utah.

The mine owners concern for the miners is no more than their concern for the roof bolts and other necessary capital costs of mining to produce the maximum profit. The miners need to clean up the UMWA union and join in uniting for their common good. No one else is going to look out for them, they need to learn to do for themselves, or get a different job.

Dear "So Where?":

It's news because most people (including most legislators) don't think about these issues unless there's a current mining disaster and someone dies. Without articles like these to remind them, legislators and regulators don't bother to enact the necessary reforms.

The start of the article tries to paint the picture that safety offenses are on the rise, but back in page 3 the author admits that MSHA is just issuing more fines, which is the reason for the increase, not the new level of safety. Crandall Canyon happens, the next year MSHA gets its act together, to protect itself, and issues more fines than ever. This doesn't imply that offenses are on the increase. Poor writing. The MSHA inspectors can find an offense in the smallest detail, and they will keep issuing fines just to keep the mines on their toes. There will never be a day that a coal mine will not receive a fine (hopefully a day w/o serious fines) because the fines are meant to help keep improving the conditions. Whether or not the fine system is working is a different question. Bob G, MSHA is never just going to start shutting down mines as a means of trying to improve minor safety issues. MSHA can come into any operation under its jurisdiction and order it closed because of safety. Remember, it wasn't a minor safety offense that causes Crandall Canyon, but a poor mine plan.

Lock the property up until the fines are settled,and start putting the folks that dropped the ball in prison. Start with Murry and operators and inspectors that got paid to look the other way and failed the working miner. MSHA & State regulators need to go to jail when they do not follow up on formal complaints.If these things are done we will not have near as many of these preventible failures.

PaulRupp, that all sounds like good, firebrand stuff, but it's taking the easy solution out because to my knowledge, there were no "inspectors that got paid to look the other way" in the case of Crandall Canyon. There were, however, budget cuts and staff shortages that precluded having inspectors spend the kind of time needed at CC. That goes back to the first Bush administration, which prided itself on cutting government positions as a waste of taxpayer money. There may also have been a couple of inspectors who were arrogant enough to believe that they could handle the review without any help from the Technical Support Group, and put too much reliance in the formerly good reputation of Agapito Associates. Nor am I aware of any formal complaint filed by miners at CC, who could have called the MSHA hotline to report dangerous conditions, or illegal practices. I do agree, however, that MSHA should be a lot more hard-nosed about collecting fines and shutting down mines. But when they do that, some Congressman for the district pushes MSHA leadership to "work something out" when the mine owner (a financial contributor) threatens to fire miners. See how it works?

A little information for those of you who form your opinions based on what you learn from third parties such as the media & popular culture rather than first hand knowledge: MSHA has been writing citations left & right & shutting down mines as to leave a paper trail- in other words, MSHA is writing as many citations as it can not because the mines are more dangerous but because they are in the hot seat. They want to be able to say "look at all the work we're doing" & if another tragedy happens "look at all the citations we wrote that mine!" It dont matter if the citations are warrented or not. The mind set is write it and then challange the mine owner to prove it wrong. Now, imagine if that was the mindset of the police department- write the ticket rather it was deserved or not then leave it to the citizen to prove they really werent doing anything wrong. Meanwhile,we have a couple hundred unemployed miners down here!Its so easy forthose of you who dont live this life to call 4further regulation but right now citations are covering MSHAs behind not making mines any safer.

emery C
You folks in Carbon and Emery want it both ways. You want MSHA to take the blame for the mess at CC and out of one side of your mouth you say "where was MSHA they should have shut them down." but when it comes to someone informing MSHA on what is going on in a mine you can't have that because a miner needs his job. yea MSHA is covering their butts. Remember they lost one of their own. Or does that matter. They are covering the butts of all the miners still alive to mine coal. Maybe operators and miners will figure out that they need to follow the law. Every law from wearing safety glasses to following their vent and roof plans.

I take great offense reading that mine management does not care about miner safety. I know first hand that is not true. There are several mines in this area that have received prestigious Safety Awards and have great safety programs, where's the Media then? They involve employees in those safety programs and promote safety not only on the job, but off as well. They reward reporting of unsafe work proceders without fear of being reprimanded. There is not an industry out there that does not have some kind of unsafe working condition. How many health citations has your local Convenience Store gotton the last year putting the community at risk? Crandall Canyon was a great tragedy and my heart goes out to each family. There are tragedies every day. The Mom with 5 small children,lost her husband in a fatal carcrash, no insurance. The Dad, killed in a construction accident, leaving a family of 4. Where are the citations, stricter laws, bigger fines,and media reporting for those families? Where should we put the blame? Shut down the highways and construction work, outlaw driving and digging trenchs. Get the facts-all of them. Not all employers intentually or willingly break the law.