Upper Big Branch Explosion Was Preventable, Investigators Say

Massey Energy’s failure to comply with government safety standards contributed to an April 2010 explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia, according to preliminary reports from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). The explosion killed 29 miners.

A small explosion ignited coal dust in the underground mine, causing a much bigger explosion, NPR reports. Water sprayers meant to extinguish fires and control coal dust weren’t working properly. The initial explosion was caused by a spark from cutting tools that were too dull.

Howard Berkes of NPR sums it up when he called it “a tragedy that could have been prevented if the Upper Big Branch coal mine had complied with federal safety regulations.”

MSHA inspectors knew that Massey mines often put miners at risk by exposing them to dangerous, and illegal, circumstances. But as Berkes reports, Massey would initially address MSHA citations, but then allow the problems to crop up again.

The current mine safety regulatory structure simply isn’t strong enough to deter scofflaw companies like Massey (which need to be distinguished from law-abiding companies) from jeopardizing miners’ lives and well-being. It is currently too difficult for MSHA to place mines on its list of chronic violators, and clearly the citations inspectors dole out are not taken seriously enough.

But don’t look for an overhaul of mine safety regulation any time soon. Major reforms are unlikely to advance in the current political climate – in which even President Obama is adopting the specious conservative mantra that regulation negatively impacts the job market. A mine safety bill crafted in the wake of the Upper Big Branch tragedy didn’t make it through Congress in 2010, and its prospects appear even dimmer in 2011. Further complicating the situation, Congress, and perhaps Obama, is likely to push for budget cuts at some regulatory agencies like MSHA. MSHA will have to continue to do the best it can with the tools it is given.

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