25 Senseless Deaths

[nissangirl74]

25 coal workers lost their lives today in an explosion in the Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia. 4 more are still unaccounted for and the search continues. There are certain dangers that are always associated with being a coal miner. I understand this, I have family who have worked in them all their lives. However, when those in charge of the mine are negligent in their duties, it makes the losses so much harder to bear.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/201...3dmFt

[numbnuts240]

as much as i hate osha, this is why organizations like them exist, it forces people to work with common sense and not risk their lives to get the job done.

[AppleBonker]

as much as i hate osha, this is why organizations like them exist, it forces people to work with common sense and not risk their lives to get the job done.

Unfortunately, I personally don't think osha exists to keep people from risking their own lives, but more to keep companies from risking their employees lives. In most of these situations, the workers are doing something they presume to be safe, but the higher-ups have not ensured that is the case. Sad, really.

[numbnuts240]

it works both ways, the companies often don't see what their employees are doing on the job site, btw i'm referencing mainly construction since it's what i have the most experience with. osha will randomly troll sites and look for unsafe behavior. the guys on the scaffold may have been sent out with harnesses and and tie off equipment, and they are definitely trained on proper use, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they will use said equipment. if they're caught, the company takes the hit, not the employee, although that person will more than likely be terminated.

in this situation, tests should have been performed to determine whether the levels of methane were within the safe working threshold, and the proper precautions should have been taken (drilling vents). problem is, everyone is hurting monetarily, and they just want to get the job done, and done fast. i'm dealing with this every day, it may not be safety related, but it boils down to the same thing: get the job done, no matter what it takes, and try to save some money while you're at it.

[s0m3th1ngAZ]

Unfortunately...because money always rolls uphill, OSHA is way more concerned about protecting liabilities of business owners.

[nissangirl74]

*Update* All of the miners have been found. There were no survivors.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/201...3dmFt

The mine's parent company has been scrutinized since the blast and with good reason. The violations are unbelievable in both number and scale. (Details in the link) If anything good could come from these 29 deaths, it would be new laws, new standards, strict accountability and zero tolerance for violations.

RIP

[Jesda]

New laws won't do jack. They already broke the law.

Enforcement might help.

[dusred]

The Cardinal Canyon Mine here in Utah had a similar deal a few years ago. It was very tragic for the families. Hopefully the Administration won't try to politicize it because it has to do with coal. I hope the families will be taken care of and it will be left at that.

RIP.