The News Journal went to print before the full story broke about the miners. There was sadly only one survivor of the mine explosion, though rumors of twelve survivors had surfaced and lasted long enough to make it into the print new outlets.The press coverage of this news has been excrutiating. I feel for the families of these coal miners, coal mining is a dangerous occupation, but it is a choice. Every interview where the families said that they had asked their loved one to stop the job, or the loved one talked about the safety risks, was followed by an admission that the miner chose to stay in the job. Most said it was because it is a high paying though dangerous occupation. If other industries are any indication, the danger of the job probably means that there is heightened focus on safety rather than less. The investigation of this accident should let is determine if more stress needs to be placed on safety in this industry. I myself would like to know what the statistics on death rates of coal miners in on the job accidents. The Christian Science Monitor has some statistics on mine safety...
...For an industry that endured at least 1,000 fatalities a year through the 1930s and '40s, the death toll of 28 in 2004, the latest figure available, underscores the achievement of stricter government oversight and corporate compliance, experts and officials say...
...In 2003, 16 mining fatalities occurred in underground mining work with a fatality rate of 35.7 per 100,000 workers, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Of those, 11 occurred in coal operator mines. Coal contractors had the highest fatality rate, at 212.8 per 100,000 operator employees, the institute reports....
...The notion that mining ranks among the most dangerous occupations, in terms of on-the-job fatalities and injuries, may be misguided. "Of the 5,559 total work-related fatalities that occurred in 2003, only 56 (about 1 percent) occurred in coal and mineral mining," according to the National Mining Association website, which used data from the MSHA and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to calculate the number. Mining, the website notes, appears far down the list, behind trade, transportation, and public utilities (25 percent), construction (20 percent), and farming, forestry, and fishing (13 percent)...
The press also keeps harping on the 46 violations the mine received this year but there is no indication of whether this is a high or a low number for similar mines. How can we determine if this mine was really less safe than other mines. It is always frustrating that the press doesn't report that type of information, but merely parrots what the other media outlets say. Maybe then we can determine if an action needs to be taken. (latest update at Yahoo News)
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