WorldWide Drilling Resource

30 SEPTEMBER 2014 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® A Century of Mine Rescue Adapted from Information by Mine Safety and Health Administration As miners labor above and below the ground, they can be confident know- ing if an accident occurs, every attempt will be made to get them to safety and ensure their survival. An exhibit at the National Mine Health and SafetyAcademy is exploring the history of mine rescue and how it has evolved since the early 1900s. From 1900-1909, 3660 miners died in 133 mine disasters. During December of 1907, known as “Bloody December,” 703 miners died in 5 separate mine explosions. Following this decade of staggering miner fatalities, an Act of Congress established the U.S. Bureau of Mines within the Department of the Interior on July 1, 1910 in an attempt to save miners’ lives. President William H. Taft named Dr. Joseph A. Holmes as the first direc- tor of the Bureau of Mines in 1910. Dr. Holmes made many improvements in mine safety, including the implementation of mine rescue railroad cars which had first aid and mine safety equipment on- board, and were dispatched immediately in the event of a mining disaster. Dr. Holmes also coined the phrase “safety first.” “Despite continual calls for improve- ments in mine safety, stronger laws seem to be introduced only when miners die in large numbers,” said Joseph Main, assistant secretary of labor for Mine Safety and Health. For example, an explosion at West Virginia’s Farmington #9 Mine which killed 78 miners in 1968, lead to the establishment of the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, known as “The Coal Act.” Protection of metal and nonmetal miners was not included. Many more miners died before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 was passed, covering safety for Left: A mine rescue team from 1924. Right: A modern mine rescue team. the entire mining industry. Under the act, the Department of Labor took re- sponsibility for carrying out its man- dates, and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) was created. Three different catastrophes claimed 19 miners’ lives in 2006, which led to the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act of 2006. It amended the 1977 act, provided for improvements in safety, and called for strict emergency response standards for American mines. Mine rescue personnel, known as a “Mine Rescue Team” is required by law to be available at all mining opera- tions. In many cases, these crews are made up of volunteers who risk their own l ives to ensure miners’ safety. Sometimes state and federal govern- ments also have teams prepared to respond in the event of a mine disaster. Today, emphasis is placed on skills training for each member of mine rescue teams to make certain they are trained in every aspect of the rescue process. MSHA is working to continue advance- ment in mine rescue training and technolo- gy to ensure the safety and confidence of our country’s hardworking miners.