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New MSHA boss vows to study deep cover mines
Nov, 21 2009
MSHA will pay greater attention to weight of mountains over tunnels
(Salt Lake City, Utah) -- In his days as a safety official with the United Mine Workers of America, Joe Main became acquainted with the hazards of cutting coal in the deep mines found in Utah.
Now that he has become the head of the federal Mine Safety & Health Administration, Main said he intends to ensure the agency pays greater attention to the threats posed to miners by the weight of mountains overhead.
"There's no question we need to look harder at mining those [deep] seams and making some determinations about what safety nets need to be applied," he said Friday in his first news conference after being confirmed by the Senate as the Obama administration's top mine-safety official.
The weight of East Mountain pressing down on the tunnels of Emery County's Crandall Canyon mine was blamed for an Aug. 6, 2007, implosion of the mine's walls that fatally buried six miners. Ten days later, the same geological forces also unleashed a second outburst that killed three miners trying to rescue the trapped men.
MSHA's investigation of the disaster determined the mine was so poorly designed that it was destined to fail. The agency also has recommended that the U.S. Attorney's Office consider criminal charges in the case, alleging mine officials ordered the excavation of more coal than the mine plan allowed and had understated the extent of earlier outbursts to MSHA inspectors.
Main said his experiences with numerous mine disasters over three decades – most notably the 1984 Wilberg Mine fire, also in Emery County, which killed 27 miners -- will shape his approach to his job.
"For those of us in the rescue and recovery operations, over time our pain and thinking about the events fades," he said. "But it never does for those families" of the victims.
Main vowed that MSHA will review all mine accidents for common factors contributing to injuries and deaths, intent on eliminating violations that led to breakdowns.
He also said "we have gaps we need to address" in responding to mine emergencies. A series of 2006 disasters revealed systemic shortcomings, such as the slow response of rescue teams.
The mining industry is going through a significant transition, Main said, with a generation of experienced miners and inspectors moving into retirement, replaced by newcomers with minimal hands-on know-how. MSHA needs to ensure that sufficient training is provided to this new generation of miner to compensate for the lack of experience.
One of Main's first major endeavors as MSHA's boss will be to unveil a comprehensive plan for ending black lung disease. He indicated a plan could be made public in the next two weeks.
Along that line, he strongly advocates a program to require all miners to wear an instrument that continuously monitors levels of dust in the air around them.
Main also said he wants to see industry take more responsibility for safety in the mines. And although he has been a UMWA official for decades, he pledged to work as closely with non-union mines as union.
"I don't look to see if a miner has a union card to determine whether we take care of him," Main said. All but one -- Deer Creek -- of Utah's half dozen coal mines are nonunion.
By Mike Gorrell
SOURCE: www.sltrib.com
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