A memorial for the miners who died at the UBB mine in 2010.
One of the biggest U.S. mine safety disaster stories in recent decades is getting a lot of attention today, and it’s a story we can’t neglect here at Modern Safety. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has just released its final report on the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster.
It’s not surprising that safety violations are part of this story. In short, improper safety management played a large role in the dramatic events that took place in West Virginia over a year and a half ago. And the total costs are now adding up for the worst U.S. mining disaster since 1970.
At a glance, here’s a very quick summary of how this story developed over the last 20 months:
On April 5, 2010, an explosion occurred at the Upper Big Branch coal mine in Raleigh County, West Virginia.
In total, 29 of the UBB miners were killed, and two survived.
In 2009, the mining company was fined a total of $382,000 for violations in areas such as ventilation, equipment, and failure to properly use a safety plan.
This week, the total $210-million settlement has set a new record as the largest ever in a federal investigation of a mine disaster. It will cover restitution for miners’ families, safety upgrades, research and training, and fines for safety violations.
The two survivors and families involved will each receive $1.5 million in restitution – five times more than previous totals for a disaster like this.
This isn’t just the largest U.S. mining disaster story in recent history. It’s one of the largest ever workplace safety crime stories. In a statement about the results of MSHA’s investigation, U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis concluded that the companies involved ultimately created a culture that valued production over safety. The MSHA report released yesterday underscored the fact that the conditions that led to the UBB mine were “entirely preventable.”
Of course, the highest cost in this story wasn’t measured in dollars. It was measured in lives lost. No matter how mine safety is managed, or what tools are used, we hope the UBB case will inspire a safer future for the workers in mining, and for workers across many industries.
Tags: Inspection Software, mine safety, MSHA, safety violations
