Question:
http://www.themichigantimes.com/media/paper620/news/2005/10/10/Nation...
or
http://tinyurl.com/7g8pr
With all the stink about mining saftey here lately, seems odd it isnt even
top ten on this list.
Answer:
"Mining" can be a pretty broad term when someone wants to make those "per
hundred thousand" studies appear a certain way. I am sure the mining *industry*
includes surface mining and all manner of preperation..
The actual JOB of "Miner" is more accurate. In a deep mine. Digging, augering,
shoveling, dragging or blasting coal at the face.
The long term effects on their bodies would not be measured in a study like
this either. While I'm sure conditions have improved over the decades,
breathing dust much of one's adult life cant be good on the lungs and such.
I'd question the dangerousness of driving the big rigs. Seldom do you hear
of semidrivers dying in wrecks. It happens, but they nearly always survive
as they are protected and much larger than the vehicles they collided with.
I've got a couple semis on my farm. When I first got one, I'd get frazzled
nerves worrying about all the idots pulling out in front of me far too
close, or those driving fast right up to a stop sign, only to stop at the
last second. Then one day I decided to just put on my seat belt and keep
the pedal to the medal. If they run that stop sign, they WILL die. I most
likely wont be harmed. Makes it much less stressful.
1)OSHA & UMW generated many safety measures and standards in the middle of
the last century . For example, miners universally use breathing filters.
Mining machines spray a fine mist of water on the face as work is done.
This is to reduce coal dust. Anything and everything is subject to some
sort of safety standard.
2) Technology has given better equipment, safety equipment, air circulation,
less labor intensive production (i.e. longwalls), and plotting and location
of desireable and mineable seams. BTW, using longwalls have greatly reduced
the need for the amount of roof bolting that is needed. I would guess that
roof bolters have one of the highest rates of fatality. In fact, a roof
bolter was killed last week in a separate incident.
3) Don't forget that much of mining production is now done by strip mining.
Fifty feet of overburden covering a 20 foot seam in Wyoming makes a miner a
hundred times as productive (tonnage produced per hour worked) as a WV miner
going a mile into/underground to mine a 30 inch seam. Some electric
dragline buckets are as big as a WV miners 2 bdrm house. Back in the 70's
we had a V-CON Dozer that had a 26' blade (IIRC).
4) First Aid, medical treatment, on site medical facilities and overall
miner first-aid awareness is light years ahead of yesteryear.
I suspect that mining injuries related to miners whose jobs include ore
transportation to the face, preparation plants, truck dumps, mechanic shops,
and freight loading facilities have been drastically reduced as they are
more efficient and effective. Remember, that these are also classified as
miner fatalities.
