Being Safe and Secure
Deep Thoughts: Mining Safety
The start of 2006 has seen the focus in the area of mining in the United States. Dominating the news cycles as the first major story of the calendar year, reports of the 13 trapped miners at the Sago Coal Mine in Tallmansville, West Virginia surfaced with scenes of prayer vigils. Emotional reactions to the reported rescue, and then the subsequent discovery of 12 deaths, further gripped the heart of the nation.
Subsequent to this occurrence, several other coal mine accidents and deaths have been reported. As of the writing of this article, 16 miners have died and the Governor of West Virginia has asked for all coal mining to cease until inspections have been completed. Much like the affects of the devastating tsunami reported a year ago, mining has flooded our homes as the story of the year.
Mining is a business that is crucial to survival of the human kind. From mining we obtain far more than the precious jewels and metals like diamond and gold, but essential elements and components of our modern life. Salt for human consumption, copper for telephone wires, asphalt for roads, aluminum for packaging. All of these basic items come from mining, and underscore a commonly used phrase in the industry: If you cant grow it, you must mine it.
Our demand for goods and services drive the needs of mining. Coal mining is particularly essential to the power industry, as some 54% of our nation’s electricity is produced by coal. 1 pound of coal will run a 60-watt light bulb for about 15 hours. Image how much coal is used for you house alone for a year.
The mining environment changes daily, as new areas are mined and excavated. Mines can be on the surface, such as sand and gravel pit mines, and delve 60 to 90 feet. Underground mines can reach far lower levels, such as the mines in South Africa that go down over 11,000 feet. As mines delve deep, they can also spread over great distances. Some mines spread over great distances, encompassing several miles. One mine in Utah spreads over 35 football fields. With one football field equal to 57600 sq ft., that particular mine is over some 2 million sq ft or 46 acres.
Such vast distances and changing environments make rescuing injured, trapped, or lost persons very complex. Many environments are twisting caverns, making some radio communication useless. Moving underground also becomes tedious, as the need to check for further collapses and safety of the air quality must occur as mine rescuers try to search for missing persons. To cover large areas underground takes a lot of work, a lot of people, and a lot of skill.
The mining industry is now exploring better safety and rescue options, including personal locator devices that may assist in locating more quickly trapped mining personnel. Additional underground air emergency stations will also be established, thus increasing the chances that people can get to air if needed.
The dedication of miners to the fabric of our lives is grossly understated; the fact that you are reading this article began with some mined material to make and power the computer you are using. The families of the deceased deserve our prayers and our gratitude for their sacrifice. The next time you turn on your lights at home; say a prayer for a miner.