August 12, 2011 (Press-News.org) It has been just over a year since the Upper Big Branch mine disaster in West Virginia killed 29 miners, and the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has come out with proposed coal mining safety rule revisions. The proposal is intended to ensure that underground coal mine operators find and fix violations of mandatory health or safety standards, with an overall goal of improving miner health and safety.
This comes as MSHA releases the findings from its yearlong investigation of the Upper Big Branch mine explosion. MSHA assistant secretary Joseph A. Main did not mince words when he summarized his agency's conclusions: "The tragedy at the Upper Big Branch Mine was entirely preventable, and basic safety practices were not followed by Massey Energy."
In a recently released report from another source, the Governor's Independent Investigation Panel's (GIIP), investigators determined that the disaster at the Upper Big Branch mine was man-made and could have been prevented had Massey Energy followed basic, well-tested and historically proven safety procedures. Specifically, the GIIP concluded that the Upper Big Branch mine explosion occurred due to Massey's failure to:
- provide a properly functioning ventilation system;
- adhere to federal and state rock dusting standards;
- record or correct safety hazards in pre-shift/on-shift examinations; and
- properly maintain equipment at the mine, including the longwall shearer where the explosion originated.
The GIIP report also called out Massey for intimidating miners to keep them from speaking out about safety issues. Congressional testimony from Massey miners revealed that the company hid violations from government agencies in violation of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977. MSHA has announced that some information will remain confidential due to ongoing investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice and other federal criminal prosecutors.
Latest Mine Safety Inspections Pay Dividends
United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) International President Cecil E. Roberts supports the motivation behind the new coal mining safety rules proposed by MSHA: "In the wake of [the GIIP] report, I don't know how anyone can argue against not just protecting basic rights at work for coal miners but expanding them." The UMWA has been vocal in its support of enhanced federal safety inspection processes.
MSHA just announced in May that its inspectors issued 125 citations and 36 compliance orders during special impact inspections conducted this spring at eight coal mines. All of these mines had received increased agency attention and enforcement in the aftermath of Upper Big Branch due to high numbers of violations, a high rate of hazard complaints, inadequate ventilation, and high numbers of accidents, injuries, illnesses, or fatalities. One persistent problem is illegally gaining advance notification of inspections so that chronic safety problems can be temporarily addressed or hidden.
Protecting Injured West Virginia Mine Workers
Safety violations are powerful evidence of a company's negligence and legal liability in mining accident litigation. Coal industry officials who cut corners to boost profits introduce extra risks into an already dangerous job. Miners' lives are needlessly put at risk when the concern for production outweighs the concern for miner safety. Death, traumatic brain injury, paralysis, crushed limbs, amputations, burns and other serious harm can result in an instant if something goes wrong.
A West Virginia coal mining injury lawyer can help an injured miner or surviving family members assess their legal options in the aftermath of a mining injury or coal truck accident. When regulatory systems fail to keep the workplace safe, a civil lawsuit may be an injury victim's only way to hold coal companies accountable.
Article provided by Farmer Cline & Campbell PLLC
Visit us at www.farmerclinecampbell.com
New Federal Rules Will Advance Coal Mining Safety
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has come out with proposed coal mining safety rule revisions and released the findings from its yearlong investigation of the Upper Big Branch coal mine accident.
2011-08-12
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
The Benefits of Outsourcing Your In-House Counsel
2011-08-12
Many small-business owners think their choice is between having in-house counsel or employing outside counsel for their legal needs. The fear inherent to this line of thinking is that, in reality, the choice becomes one of expensive in-house counsel or no legal counsel at all. However, a middle ground exists to provide solutions for a variety of business sizes and needs: outsourced in-house counsel services.
Almost all Business Decisions Have Legal Implications
When you are running your own business, to say you are busy is usually an understatement. From day-to-day ...
Corn silage hybrids and seeding rates
2011-08-12
MADISON, WI, AUGUST 11, 2011 -- Recent studies report that corn hybrids released in the late 2000s, especially Bt hybrids, require higher seeding rates than commercial hybrids released in the 1990s to reach maximum yields. Expectedly, corn seeding rates in the USA have increased significantly in the past 10 years. However, limited data is available on silage yield and quality responses of recently released hybrids to seeding rates.
Cornell scientist William Cox investigated the response of eight hybrids (three Bt and a non-Bt hybrid, two brown midrib and two silage specific ...
Shooting light a curve
2011-08-12
One of the earliest lessons in science that students learn is that a ray or beam of light travels in a straight line. Students also learn that light rays fan out or diffract as they travel. Recently it was discovered that light rays can travel without diffraction in a curved arc in free space. These rays of light were dubbed "Airy beams," after the English astronomer Sir George Biddell Airy, who studied what appears to be the parabolic trajectory of light in a rainbow.
Now, scientists with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have demonstrated the ...
Congress Continues Aggressive Efforts to Crack Down on Drunk- Driving Offenders
2011-08-12
Every day Congressional legislatives and authorities across the country are finding new ways to crack down on drunk driving. A recent bill would have allocated funds for a government-research project aimed at working with auto manufacturers to install a type of alcohol detection device inside future vehicles was recently on the table. The bill failed to pass the House and Senate, but it's likely legislators will continue to support and sponsor similar bills.
The Research of Alcohol Detection Systems for Stopping Alcohol-related Fatalities Everywhere (known as the ROADS ...
Woman Sues Queens Sizzler for Alleged Gay Bias Attack by Manager, New York Civil Rights Violation Lawyer Comments
2011-08-12
A discrimination lawsuit was filed in Queens County Supreme Court against the Sizzler Restaurant in Forest Hills, New York on behalf of Liza Friedlander. Friedlander was allegedly attacked by a manager while trying to dine with friends.
It is believed that this case is the first test of the newly enacted anti-bias crime law passed in August 2010 that allows victims of anti-gay and lesbian violence and intimidation to sue their attackers in civil court.
The Sizzler is accused of violating New York City and State Civil and Human Rights Laws because Friedlander was attacked ...
University of Minnesota researchers reveal Wikipedia gender biases
2011-08-12
Computer science researchers in the University of Minnesota's College of Science and Engineering are leading a team that has confirmed a substantial gender gap among editors of Wikipedia and a corresponding gender-oriented disparity in the content. The team's research will be presented at the 2011 WikiSym conference, the seventh annual International Symposium on Wikis and Open Collaboration, in California this fall.
Over the past decade, Wikipedia has become a premier online information resource. About 400 million people around the world visit Wikipedia on the web every ...
Common Injuries to Longshore and Harbor Workers in Florida Ports
2011-08-12
While "Deadliest Catch" might have entertained television viewers with risky examples of life at sea, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has confirmed something that has been known for years: longshore and maritime industry jobs are some of the most dangerous occupations in America. About 350 maritime and longshore industry workers are seriously injured in work-related accidents each year.
Longshore workers do more than just load and unload cargo. They also repair ships and build bridges, among other duties. As a result, harbor and dock workers are subject ...
Chinese households save more than American households, MU study finds
2011-08-12
COLUMBIA, Mo. – With the global economy in a state of unrest, saving money seems to be an obvious strategy for households to protect themselves. But are global households saving enough? Researchers at the University of Missouri have compared savings habits of households from two of the world's most powerful economies: China and the United States. Rui Yao, an assistant professor in the personal financial planning department in the College of Human Environmental Sciences at the University of Missouri, found that urban Chinese households, on average, save much more than American ...
Worldwide map identifies important coral reefs exposed to stress
2011-08-12
Marine researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society and other groups have created a map of the world's corals and their exposure to stress factors, including high temperatures, ultra-violet radiation, weather systems, sedimentation, as well as stress-reducing factors such as temperature variability and tidal dynamics.
The study, say the authors, will help to conserve some of the world's most important coral reefs by identifying reef systems where biodiversity is high and stress is low, ecosystems where management has the best chance of success.
The paper appears ...
Volkswagen Launches New Crafter Van with Class Leading Fuel Economy
2011-08-12
The new Volkswagen Crafter officially launches in August when the first vehicles and test drive demonstrators arrive in Volkswagen Van Centre showrooms with an extensive advertising campaign highlighting how efficient the new model is with class-leading fuel economy of up to 38.7 mpg, lower running costs and emissions from 199 g/km.
To make it the most efficient in the large van class, the new Crafter has a new engine range using Volkswagen's latest 2.0-litre TDI common rail engine, already proven in the new Transporter and Amarok. It is available with power outputs ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
SwRI-built instruments to monitor, provide advanced warning of space weather events
Breakthrough advances sodium-based battery design
New targeted radiation therapy shows near-complete response in rare sarcoma patients
Does physical frailty contribute to dementia?
Soccer headers and brain health: Study finds changes within folds of the brain
Decoding plants’ language of light
UNC Greensboro study finds ticks carrying Lyme disease moving into western NC
New implant restores blood pressure balance after spinal cord injury
New York City's medical specialist advantage may be an illusion, new NYU Tandon research shows
Could a local anesthetic that doesn’t impair motor function be within reach?
1 in 8 Italian cetacean strandings show evidence of fishery interactions, with bottlenose and striped dolphins most commonly affected, according to analysis across four decades of data and more than 5
In the wild, chimpanzees likely ingest the equivalent of several alcoholic drinks every day
Warming of 2°C intensifies Arctic carbon sink but weakens Alpine sink, study finds
Bronze and Iron Age cultures in the Middle East were committed to wine production
Indian adolescents are mostly starting their periods at an earlier age than 25 years ago
Temporary medical centers in Gaza known as "Medical Points" (MPs) treat an average of 117 people daily with only about 7 staff per MP
Rates of alcohol-induced deaths among the general population nearly doubled from 1999 to 2024
PLOS One study: In adolescent lab animals exposed to cocaine, High-Intensity Interval Training boosts aversion to the drug
Scientists identify four ways our bodies respond to COVID-19 vaccines
Stronger together: A new fusion protein boosts cancer immunotherapy
Hidden brain waves as triggers for post-seizure wandering
Music training can help the brain focus
Researcher develop the first hydride ion prototype battery
MIT researchers find a more precise way to edit the genome
‘Teen’ pachycephalosaur butts into fossil record
Study finds cocoa extract supplement reduced key marker of inflammation and aging
Obesity treatment with bariatric surgery vs GLP-1 receptor agonists
Nicotinamide for skin cancer chemoprevention
Novel way to ‘rev up’ brown fat burns calories, limits obesity in mice
USC Stem Cell-led team makes major advance toward building a synthetic kidney
[Press-News.org] New Federal Rules Will Advance Coal Mining SafetyThe Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has come out with proposed coal mining safety rule revisions and released the findings from its yearlong investigation of the Upper Big Branch coal mine accident.