The Issue Of Safety In Coal Mining

Over the last century the United States has distinguished a large mass of safety regulations. Some careers can be dangerous to the employers and employees so they need to be aware of hazards to prevent an injury or death. Accidents can happen anytime and can affect multiple employees with the lack of safety measures and precautious. Employees should feel safe while working and need to be knowledgeable of what they are getting themselves into. As a result, more and more safety regulations are being put into place and will continue to increase.

Miners had unsafe working conditions in the past. In 1907, a mining accident occurred in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania that killed 34 miners. The authorities decided that there was not enough ventilation and gas accumulated in the mine which created a great explosion to occur. In order to see if it was safe to re-enter after an explosion, miners took canaries down into the mines to see if they would suffer. Coal miners today use carbon monoxide detectors to determine if it is safe to return to mines. Safety precautions and safety regulations are continually changing to make the workplace a safer environment.

Accidental explosions were a major problem for miners. More than 600 miners were killed in coal mining explosions in 1907. The United States Bureau of Mines was formed in 1910 to deal with all the mining accidents. The bureau was instrumental in alleviating mining disasters. For example, other types of explosives were adopted rather than using black powder. “These newer explosives were safer because they generated shorter and cooler flames, and thus were less prone to ignite any nearby methane gas” (John A. Preslin, pg. 10. ). The roof of the mines was another hazard that the miners had to worry about. Wood posts were used as support. The Bureau helped expand the use of roof bolting. They were long steel beams that were much stronger than wood beams. “Roof bolting helped to reduce injuries from roof falls and also permitted improved mobility for mining equipment. ” (John A Preslin, pg. 29. ). Furthermore, inspection agencies oversaw that ventilation fans were being used as well as using water to cut down on dust. No smoking rules or the use or open flames was enforced. This improved the work environment for the coal miners immensely.

Coal miners also had the problem of breathing in fine coal dust. This caused them to have respiratory diseases. The 1969 Coal Act helped address this issue and wanted the mines to have lower dust levels. This law also mandated chest x-rays to be provided to the coal miners.