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   Vol.65/No.3            January 22, 2001 
 
 
Mine fatalities hit 38, rise for third year
 
BY TONY LANE  
PITTSBURGH--The impact of the assault by the bosses on coal miners and their union was once again seen in the year-end statistics on mining fatalities, which rose for the third year in a row. Thirty-eight miners were killed on the job in 2000, with five of these occurring in December. In 1999, 34 miners died in coal mines and the previous year the total was 29.

The largest number of deaths was in Kentucky, with 13, West Virginia had nine deaths and Virginia four, bringing the total in these three Appalachian states to 26 of 38 miners killed. There were also four mine deaths in Utah. Accidents were almost evenly divided between underground and surface mines; there were also a number of deaths at coal preparation plants.

Two of the fatal accidents in which two miners were killed had the potential for greater injuries and fatalities. In a hoisting accident in Kentucky two contractors plunged to their death when a hoist mantrip ran away and safety devices failed to operate. They were the only passengers at the time of the accident.

In a methane explosion on a longwall face at the Willow Creek mine in Utah, eight were also injured in the explosion, two of them seriously. Willow Creek is a subsidiary of RAG American Coal, one of the world's biggest coal operators. Willow Creek is a gassy mine and was closed for a year after a methane ignition and fire in November 1998.

From the reports presently available from the Mine Safety and Health Administration, at least seven miners working for contractors lost their lives on the job last year. This underscores the increasing use of contractors in the mines by some of the largest coal operators and the more dangerous safety situation miners hired by them often face. Contract miners may receive less safety training and are most often not covered by union contracts.

Over a third of the deaths occurred at mines owned by some of the biggest names in coal. Consol Energy had four deaths at four mines it owns in West Virginia, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Other large operators that had deaths at mines they own or are owned by subsidiaries include A.T. Massey Coal, Arch Coal, Pittston, AEI Resources, and RAG.

A.T. Massey subsidiary Martin County Coal also had a massive spill from their slurry pond, which caused widespread environmental damage to streams, rivers, and water supply in Kentucky and West Virginia.  
 
 
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