Miner Dies At Pocahontas Coal Mine Listed By Rep. George Miller

A West Virginia man has died after being pinned against the wall of a coal mine, reports WOWKTV.

According to an official with West Virginia Office of Miner's Health, Safety and Training, the victim was caught between a continuous mining machine and the wall of the Pocahontas coal mine in Beckley, West Virginia.

Pocahontas is one of 48 mining operations who avoided greater scrutiny from the government by contesting safety violations filed against it, according to a recent list (PDF) released by Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.)

The Pocahontas coal mine is owned by ICG, the same company that owned the Sago mine where 12 workers were killed in an underground explosion in 2006.

The name of the 28-year-old victim has not been released, according to The Associated Press. But the state would say that he was married with children.

Thursday's accident comes just weeks after an underground explosion killed 29 at West Virginia's Upper Big Branch coal mine.

UPDATE: Rep. Miller has released a statement about the death at Pocahontas mine:

“I am deeply saddened by yet another coal miner’s death. It is especially troubling that this death occurred at a mine that we knew posed a danger to miners. The 48 mines identified publicly last week by this committee continue to pose a danger to our nation’s miners. The fact is that a mine that has a pattern of safety problems indicates a dangerous workplace. Tragically, we have had to learn that lesson again today.

“Indiscriminate mine owner appeals are letting some of the most dangerous mines to escape tougher penalties and heightened scrutiny. The Obama administration and Congress must correct this problem and correct it now. Mine operators must be held accountable to the highest standard for protecting the safety and health of America’s hard-working miners. We must start clearing this backlog up immediately.”

Comments

[Miah Macdougal]

08:40 AM on 04/26/2010

How many construction workers, fishermen, loggers, steelworkers, police officers, firemen, clerks, accountants, ... have died since the mine tragedy in West Virginia? Why is there not an uproar about those American workers? Are those deaths acceptable? Why don't we hear about each and every death that occurs in the United States every day on the evening news? Why is Congress not clamoring for changing the rules of OSHA? How many American workers die in accidents every month? Week? Day?

[Martel]

01:07 AM on 04/26/2010

Which Side are You On?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeKYVxvzKcU

[StevenevetS]

10:40 PM on 04/24/2010

The responsible thing to do is to close all 48 mines immediately and require all deficiencies be corrected before reopening. The government should require that workers be paid at their normal pay-rates until the inspections and corrections are completed.

[tacevad]

09:37 PM on 04/24/2010

There was a time when no company was so big and/or so rich that they could outlast the government in the court system.Now with appeals and appeals of appeals and enough lawyers they can litterally get away with murder.
solution:rework the laws , we have three strike rules for common criminals we need them for corporate criminals. Corporations are people according to the SC , they need to follow the same rules...including having to pay income taxes at the same rate as any other person.

[sealdadeal4me]

07:36 PM on 04/24/2010

With the present laws on the books, it seems the hands of MSHA are tied and until Congress acts then there is nothing that will be done except more lives lost. Its amazing that we dont do more for the workers and cheer on the corportations that make billions off the backs of these individuals. I know we say we want less govt but then we get more deaths and we spend more money on healthcare and benefits that could have been saved if we had the guts to make these companies live up to their obligations

[IMOPINIONH8D]

06:36 PM on 04/24/2010

Its sad that human lives aren't as valuable to mine operators as the coal is. Its too dangerous a profession for any safety rules being side tracked. Miners work to feed and care for their families, and mining is usually the only job around if that. Mine operators know this and take full advantage of the fact.

[Gatormouth]

06:30 PM on 04/24/2010

"... the victim was caught between a continuous mining machine and the wall of the Pocahontas coal mine in Beckley, West Virginia.

Pocahontas is one of 48 mining operations who avoided greater scrutiny from the government by contesting safety violations filed against it, "

Now, how is this not willful negligent homicide?

[JohnBryansFontaine]

05:21 PM on 04/24/2010

DonBlankenship to go to jail

http://act.ly/1wc

[JohnBryansFontaine]

05:16 PM on 04/24/2010

Mine-safety chief ignored warnings on enforcement
Senate hearing likely to delve into federal inaction
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: April 24, 2010

http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2010/apr/24/mine-safety-chief-ignored-warnings-on-enforcement/

[junebug62]

03:47 PM on 04/24/2010

If Sarah Palin showed up they would all run to give her money . The Union shows up they run them out of town

[Jaxy]

10:33 PM on 04/24/2010

Well, you know what they say: "A fool and his money are soon parted ... courtesy of the Grifter from Wasilla." Or, something like that.

[BlackYowe]

02:38 PM on 04/24/2010

Mining and farming are very dangerous. This death while horrible does not necessarily relate to any violations by the parent company. These kinds of horrors do happen when working with heavy machinery. We will have to wait to see if this was caused by something related to violations.

[AJH]

03:17 PM on 04/24/2010

logging, fishing, high steel, aircraft pilots and flight engineers, then the mining/farming. Now mining is the inherently most dangerous if you look at 1970's numbers but MSHA has actually done a pretty good job.

look at the yearly reports by occupation and you will see what pushes the farming category incidence rate up. Logging and fishing. They don't tend to lose large numbers at a time however. Seeing pilots with high numbers was surprising guessing bush pilots and crop dusting.

MSHA does need to consider how their accelerated penalty schedule has impacted MSHA appeals. Ideally they will create a 2 level appeal process that differentiates contention of whether the citation was of the severity cited. There is an incentive to contest severity even if you've fixed an underlying safety problem cited and a process for contesting whether it was a violation or not. Maybe even tri level where the citations that weren't considered life threatening get their own track. Something to ensure the citations the inspector considered life threatening get adjucated ex post haste when the operator is contesting they don't need to change anything.

If you tie penalty structure to number and severity of the citations received you are going to create more appeals. and we're a nation of due process laws so how we handle that can only be the appeals process and proper prioritization.

[JohnBryansFontaine]

05:23 PM on 04/24/2010

Deadly Record: Massey’s Mine In Montcoal Has Been Cited For Over 3,000 Violations, Over $2.2 Million In Fines

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/04/06/massey-deadly-mine/

[Actionman]

02:22 PM on 04/24/2010

It's amazing that time and time again miners are losing their lives and we seem to be so shocked that the mine owner was negligent. I am sure that miners are killed regularly, but unless it's a news worthy story they don't receive national attention.

What I don't understand is why there is never a serious protest going on when the national media is there. What keeps these folks from sounding off and demanding the people they voted for do something about these killer mines.

At some point you have to let go of those beliefs that are killing you... Obama administration could push and receive laws that would prevent anymore lives being lost and these people will still vote against him. So you people saying don't blame the miners, save it for the miners. 2010 and these are the same mines and jobs and to think they are NOT unionized is beyond belief.

[mlm4420]

10:48 PM on 04/25/2010

"What I don't understand is why there is never a serious protest going on when the national media is there."

The coal mining industry depends on two things: West Virginians being undereducated and West Virginians being poor.

[Pleneras]

02:06 PM on 04/24/2010

The enemy is the minds of these people thinking COAL MINING is the only way to make money. Time to force your republican politicians to support SOLAR! Maybe you might stop losing lives. Coal Mining is dangerous and you accept the fact that it is when you beoome a miner.

This is like living right in the middle ot tornado alley and expect not to get hit. If these people want jobs they should demand jobs of the future that will benefit all mankind and not some corporate board.

[klinzboy]

01:36 PM on 04/24/2010

Federal Government the enemy? Seems like it's the only thing that might save us.

[Jupitersky]

02:24 PM on 04/24/2010

it's a double edged sword. Regulations, labor protection laws, anti-trust laws- then the Patriot Act. The patriot act is one of the scariest piece of legislation passed in recent history. Giving the government broad ranging authority to wiretap and track it's citizens with no probable cause- what we don't know and what I suspect is Cheney and co used this to spy on political and economic advisaries. Nixon was impeached for this. Cheney is far too powerful to ever be held accountable- except by God. The sooner he meets his judgement the better for the rest of us.

[Actionman]

02:29 PM on 04/24/2010

Wrong the wire tapping thing is NOT in the patriot act of what the Bushco did would not be illegal... But it is a scary piece of legislation for allowing ANYONE to be arrested and held just because they are deemed a terrorist... ANYONE ANYWHERE!

[cmurphy1]

12:51 PM on 04/24/2010

Have any of you blaming these miners for their own deaths ever been to this area in the Appalachians? There are no jobs that pay a living wage other than the mines in this area. The rest are service occupations that pay minimum wage. They have to feed and house their families somehow. The unionized mines are much better in lots of ways, but most coal companies threaten to close the mine if the employees unionize and they need their jobs. Blankenship prided himself for being a "union buster".I grew up in southwestern Virginia and both my grandfathers were coal miners. We needed the unions then, and we still need them today.

[ufopp]

01:31 PM on 04/24/2010

Commercializing natural resources through mining is a fine art of exploitation of nature, labor, and capital. The easiest one the mining companies find they can squeeze are employees. The only resistance has been unions. If the companies had spent the same effort in safety as they have in defeating unions, we wouldn't be in this situation where miners have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

[Actionman]

01:59 PM on 04/24/2010

And as resident or former, how would these same people that need a union vote... don't need for you to answer. The rust belt was created because those folks would ALWAYS vote against their best interest.

No matter what Obama does for these people, they WILL vote against him every time. As a former or resident you know why.