Mine Owners at it again

 

Lexington Herald-Leader - Lexington, Kentucky - December 17, 2012

Kentucky Officials Seek to Punish Miner Who Reported Safety Violations

by Bill Estep

Mackie Bailey, 41, of Harlan County faces discipline over mine-safety violation even though he reported the violation to state authorities. 12/11/2012 - photo by Bill Estep

HARLAN — To federal prosecutors, Mackie Bailey is a witness who provided information about dangerous practices at an underground coal mine in Harlan County where a man was crushed to death in June 2011. The company and three supervisors pleaded guilty in federal court.

To state authorities, Bailey is a miner who broke the rules. The Kentucky Office of Mine Safety and Licensing filed a complaint against him for taking part in the dangerous activities he reported to state and federal regulators. To Bailey and his attorney, that's an injustice, not just because supervisors ordered Bailey to do unsafe work, but because his information helped convict the people responsible.

"They're trying to punish the whistle-blower," said Bailey's attorney, Tony Oppegard, who previously worked as a federal mine-safety official and as a prosecutor in the state mine-safety agency.

Kentucky regulators are asking the state Mine Safety Review Commission to put Bailey's underground miner certificate on probation for a year. That wouldn't stop him from continuing to work, but penalties for subsequent offenses are higher under state mining law. The probation could hurt Bailey if he faces another complaint, Oppegard said.

Oppegard asked the state in October to drop the complaint against Bailey, but the Office of Mine Safety and Licensing has not responded, Oppegard said. Bailey has a hearing scheduled before the mine-safety commission in February.

State officials won't comment on why Bailey was charged because the case is pending, said Dick Brown, spokesman for the agency that includes the Office of Mine Safety and Licensing.

Bailey, 41, a father of four with more than 20 years' experience at surface and underground coal mines, worked in the first half of 2011 at the Manalapan Mining Co.'s P-1 mine near Pathfork.

Bailey said he saw problems as soon as he started at the small mine — including safeguards being "jumped out," or bypassed with a wire to keep them from shutting down equipment experiencing electrical problems. The altered safeguards make it less likely that coal production will be interrupted, but it increases the danger of someone being electrocuted, he said. Bailey said he did not report the problems to regulators at first for fear of losing his job. With $1,200 a month in child-support payments and other bills, the risk was too great, he said.

Coal operators who want to cut corners don't hesitate to hold the threat of losing a job over a miner's head, he said. "They remind you every day there's a hundred men standing in line for your job," Bailey said.

Oppegard, who represents miners and widows in cases against coal companies, said many miners in similar situations don't report problems, trading away safety for a paycheck. "Your choice is either refuse and get fired or do something you know is dangerous," Oppegard said.

Bailey operated a machine at the P-1 mine that drove bolts into the mine roof to keep it from falling. The machine has a large bar that the operator is supposed to plant against the roof of the mine, to support it while installing the permanent bolts. As employees dug back into the mountain in June 2011, they hit a spot where the roof pitched up so high that the temporary support bar wouldn't reach it, according to Bailey and federal court records. That meant the miners using the machine were exposed to unsupported sections of rock, a serious violation of federal and state law. "I've never seen anything so dangerous in my life," Bailey said.

Bailey, who worked second shift, said he told supervisors about the problem but was told to keep working. Mine bosses wanted workers to get past the dangerous spot so they could reach more coal on the other side before inspectors spotted the problem, he said. The problem continued for more than two weeks, according to a court document.

"They knew every day they were risking miners' lives," Oppegard said of company officials.

Manalapan employees at the surface of the mine would call to warn those underground when inspectors were on the way in, Bailey said.

At one point, a supervisor told him to put the bolting machine in a different section of the mine and say it was out of service, so inspectors could not check it, Bailey said.

By late June, Bailey said, he'd had enough. There was a chunk of rock hanging down from the roof, and he refused to bolt the area out of fear he could get killed, he said. Bryant Massingale, second-shift foreman, threatened to fire him, Bailey said. "He said, 'You'll bolt it or go to the house,'" Bailey said.

Attorneys for Manalapan and three supervisors said in a court document that there was no evidence that a miner there had ever been fired for refusing a job he considered dangerous.

Massingale had another supervisor look at the spot; that supervisor said he was right not to install bolts there, Bailey said. Bailey finished his shift on other duties, but he said he expected to be fired when he went to work the next day, June 29. Instead, a security guard told him the mine was shut down because someone had been killed on the first shift.

David Partin, 49, of Pineville, a miner with 16 years' experience, was crushed when a section of rock nearly seven feet long and three feet wide collapsed on him, according to a federal investigation.

Bailey called Oppegard for help that day. Oppegard arranged for Bailey to talk to Tracy Stumbo, chief accident investigator for the state mine-safety agency. State inspectors verified problems Bailey had described; federal authorities ultimately adopted the case, and a grand jury indicted Manalapan and three supervisors in February for violating several safety laws.

Massingale pleaded guilty to signing reports that were false because they did not note hazardous conditions in the mine and to failing to correct dangerous conditions in the mine wall. Joseph Miniard, the mine superintendent, pleaded guilty to co-signing false reports and to having miners work on machines that did not have protective canopies. Jefferson Davis, the operations manager, and the company pleaded guilty to having miners work without protective canopies.

The company and the three men are to be sentenced next year.

It's likely that inspectors wouldn't have found the problems cited in the indictment if Bailey hadn't come forward, Oppegard said. Inspectors had been in the mine earlier and had not cited the violations, he said.

The P-1 mine closed after the rock fall, and Bailey went to another Manalapan mine, but the company laid him and other miners off not long after. Bailey lost his home and had to move in with one of his children for a time before finding a job at another mine.

In July 2012, the state filed administrative complaints against Bailey and several other men who had worked at the P-1 mine, including the supervisors indicted in federal court. The charge against Bailey is that he worked under an unsupported section of the mine roof — a violation that he reported.

"I don't see the justice in it," Bailey said. 

Mackie Bailey is shown operating a roof-bolting machine at the Manalapan Mining Co.’s P-1 mine in Harlan County in 2011. The top arm of the machine is supposed to reach the roof. PHOTO COURTESY OF MACKIE BAILEY

Student Loan Sharks

      What is your congressman doing about predatory lending practices. Nothing. They just keep passing laws enabling them to do more, like the Government Student loan protection for lenders, and in the meantime, students are winding up with staggering debt that they can't possibly pay back, sometimes double what it costs them to go to school.
If I were just graduating high school, I know what I'd say about college. It's not worth the hassle. You can't keep up with the compounding interest on the private loans and you're not able to secure a loan through another entity at a lower fixed rate, or consolidate your loans. You can't even file bankruptcy
No matter how you cut it, loan sharks like Sallie Mae, to name one, are protected no matter what happens, whether you pay them back or not, and Representative John Boehner is right at the top of the list of their government protagonists, and lies about it when confronted.

   “Student debt has become a life-changing issue, not just for students but also for the parents and grandparents who cosign for loans,” said Senator Durbin.  “My office often hears from students who have problems with their loans but have no idea where to turn for help.  When Congress reconvenes in September, I intend to introduce legislation to create a clearinghouse for student debt issues through the U.S. Department of Education which will facilitate student inquiries and refer them to the appropriate entity.  We need to ensure all students have a chance to gain a meaningful education without mortgaging their future.”

   "U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) participated in a congressional field forum hosted by U.S. Representative Mike Quigley on the impact of student loan debt on families and our economy. In his opening statement at the forum, Durbin warned students to be especially wary of for-profit colleges, some of which provide unaccredited degrees while earning massive profits from student loans which can then burden borrowers for years."

     For profit colleges, as well as government officials get kickbacks in the form of pac money for procuring and securing these private loans to students. The loan shark always comes out the winner. Senator Durbin is not one of these government officials.

    A warning that is too little, too late for many borrowers.The following is a guideline taken from Lisa Madigan's website. Not many people would check this site for a problem with the lender after that lender was recommended by the financial office. However, when you contact her office, you get a lot of government red tape and bureaucratic nonsense.

Some good advice? 

      "If you or your parents apply for student loans, here are some basics to keep in mind and questions to ask of your school and lender. To apply for student financial assistance, students complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is limited. Students use this application to apply for federal student grants, work study aid and loans as well as most state and private aid. Facts to consider—some basics.

       If you have been awarded financial aid at your school, you will receive a financial aid award letter. This letter may contain a range of financial aid options, including grants (which you do not have to pay back), loans (which you do have to pay back) and work-study (employment at the school).  Among the loans that may be offered to you are Stafford loans (either subsidized or unsubsidized) and PLUS loans (usually taken out by either parents of undergraduates or by graduate students themselves). These loans are guaranteed by the federal government and are known as Title IV loans. In addition, your award letter, or your school’s financial aid office, may suggest that you finance a part of the cost of attendance with alternative loans from private lenders. These loans are neither subsidized nor guaranteed by the federal government.

      Under federal law, you have the right to use the lender of your choice. Many schools have so called “preferred lender” lists. These are lenders that the school has decided to recommend to their students. However, you should be aware that just because a lender is on the “preferred lender” list, that does not mean that the particular lender is the best one for you to use. A student loan is a serious commitment and you should do your own research to find the loan with the best terms for you. Ask your financial aid officer how they chose preferred lenders for the list. Ask

questions such as:

• How were the preferred lenders selected?

• What benefits do the preferred lenders offer the students?

• What benefits or payments do lenders offer the school?

      Remember, when completing a Master Promissory Note for a student loan, you are entitled to choose your letter. If the Note is pre-printed or has an electronic drop-down menu, you should be able to add a different lender. If you are not permitted to insert your chosen lender, please call the Attorney General’s consumer hotline at the telephone numbers below. The interest rates for Stafford and PLUS loans are set by federal law.

      Accordingly, many lenders compete on repayment benefits—on the “back-end” of the loans. For example, one lender will offer to cut your rate 1.5% if you make 24 on-time payments in a row, while another will offer to cut your rate 2% if you make 36 on-time payments in a row. Although this competition is legal, keep in mind that many lenders sell their loans on a secondary market. This means that even if you select Bank A as your lender, Bank A may turn around and sell your loan to Bank B. It is important to make sure that if your loan is sold, the “back-end” benefits will travel with the loan. In some instances, the sale of the loan will terminate the very benefits that caused you to take out that particular loan in the first place! To preserve these benefits, have your lender commit to them in writing. If your lender refuses, call the Attorney General’s consumer hotline. Keep advertisements/solicitations from your lender school.

      Make sure to keep copies of all the solicitation/advertising materials you receive from your lender or from your school, as well as your loan paperwork so that you will be able to document the promises made to you by your lender when it comes time to start repaying your loan years later. In many cases, the rates that are advertised to you do not appear in any of the actual loan documents that you sign. Therefore, it is important to keep the advertisements where these rates appear so that you will be able to document the promises made to you by your lender when it comes time to start repaying your loan years later."

      "Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan testified today on the increasingly high level of debt students are undertaking to obtain a degree in the for-profit schools industry in a hearing before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts.

“We’ve seen first-hand the damage done to the lives of students burdened with enormous debt from for-profit schools. These students wanted nothing more than to go to school and better their lives, but too many of them end up struggling to pay for an expensive education with few job prospects in their chosen field,” Madigan said. “The abuses in the for-profit schools industry are rampant. Left unchecked, I fear this troubling trend will produce a generation of students saddled with crushing debt and years of financial insecurity.”

   

      Madigan testified earlier today on Capitol Hill in a hearing called by Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, “The Looming Student Debt Crisis: Providing Fairness for Struggling Students.”

The Attorney General warned committee members that student debt poses a large and growing threat to the stability of the economy. Madigan said that just as the housing crisis has trapped millions of borrowers in underwater mortgages, student debt could prevent millions of Americans from achieving financial security.

As part of her testimony, Madigan detailed a lawsuit she filed earlier this year against the national, for-profit Westwood College, which has campuses in the Chicago Loop, O’Hare, Woodridge and Calumet City. The lawsuit alleges Westwood used deceptive marketing that left students with thousands of dollars of debt and limited job opportunities. Madigan’s lawsuit alleges that, through marketing its criminal justice program, Westwood falsely convinced students they could pursue a law enforcement career with such agencies as the Illinois State Police and suburban police departments, even though those employers don’t recognize a Westwood degree due to its lack of regional accreditation."

     One of the problems here is when the financial office at the university recommends a predatory lender, people tend to take their word that the lender is honest. We don't need advice. What we need is action. College and advanced learning is too important to the nation as a whole to ignore and let things like this go on.

Sandy

MITT ROMNEY

The FACTS about MITT ROMNEY

Mitt Romney is  a good friend to have.  If you’re rich like him, then his agenda is tailor-made to suit your interests:

13.9%    He personally paid just 13.9% of his income in federal taxes in 2010. 

Even though that’s less than the federal payroll tax burden on many families, he still thinks it’s too much and wants to cut it further.

Capital Gains      Romney wants to continue big tax breaks on “capital gains” (money made from investments).

That’s the bread and butter of the rich, and he wants it taxed at a lower rate than middle-class wages and salaries.

47%       Mitt Romney has also made it clear that he isn’t interested in almost half the country who struggle to live on modest incomes, including military families:

“My job is not to worry about those people (who do not earn enough to pay income tax) – I’ll never convince them that they should take personal

responsibility and care for their lives.”  Even though most of “the 47% are low-and middle-income working families, seniors, students or active

military personnel, Romney has made it very clear that he has no interest in them.

Cut Pell Grants His running mate Paul Ryan’s budget, which Romney supports, would make life harder on working families in order to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy.

The Ryan budget would eliminate Pell Grants entirely for one million students over the next decade, and chop grants by more than $1.000 for 9.6 million students

in 2014 alone.  These cuts would come despite the fact that college costs have skyrocketed 596 percent over the last three decades.

Cut Head Start   Early childhood education is vital to the life chance of kids from low-income families – and it’s also a powerful investment in our

country’s future productivity.  Even so, the Ryan budget would deny 200,000 children access to Head Start in 2014, and reduce

the number of Head Start slots by two million over the next decade.

From UAW Local 974

Al Schilling

RETIREMENT IS SOMETHING WE ALL WORK FOR – WE ALL PAY TOWARDS

Republicans Live Off their Investments, Pay Less Taxes, and

NOW THEY WANT YOU TO PAY MORE TO RETIRE.

Ending Medicare: Congressman Schilling’s budget plan, with Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan,

Would replace Medicare with a private voucher system that will raise out-of-pocket cost for

Seniors by thousands of dollars.

(Candidate press release, 12/8/11; EPI, 5/17/12; Kaiser Family Foundation April 2011)

Schilling Just Doesn’t Care

Privatizing Social Security and Raising Retirement Age: Mitt Romney supports proposals that

would cut Social Security benefits, raise the retirement age and even go as far as privatizing

Social Security, jeopardizing our retirement saving in the stock market.

(The Boston Globe, 4/11/11)

Schilling Just Doesn’t Care

Vouchers? Congressman Schilling didn’t explain what happens if the proposed voucher doesn’t cover

the cost of your procedure.  Does the voucher have and expiration date?  Would the government tell me what doctor to see?

Schilling Just Doesn’t Care

Feeling Sick?  According to the Illinois Alliance of Retired Americans. “Rep. Schilling shamefully voted to take away new

Medicare benefits that are helping seniors here in Illinois better afford to see a doctor and fill a prescription.”

Schilling Just Doesn’t Care

Congressman Schilling’s Health Care Plan = DON’T GET OLD & DON’T GET SICK.

Congressman Schilling, he just doesn’t care.

Labor Takes It's Frustrations Out On Clint Eastwood

Posted Sep 3, 2012 4:25pm EDT - Written By Rosie Gray of the Buzzfeed staff
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The newly-elected president of the giant public workers’ union AFSCME, Lee Saunders, took a page out of Clint Eastwood's book at an Ohio delegation Labor Day breakfast on Monday, speaking to an empty chair that he pretended was occupied by Eastwood. At first it was just a lark.
"He's been sitting here listening to all the speakers before me, he's been listening to me, I want you to give Clint Eastwood a round of applause," Saunders said. "I brought him with me to learn some things, OK? To teach him, to educate him." The audience murmured and laughed.
Saunders asked the chair questions, then joked, "He doesn't have anything to say."
"Mitt Romney doesn't have anything to say," Saunders continued. "Paul Ryan doesn't have anything to say."
Suddenly, the tone changed: Saunders, finishing his speech, began to kick the chair, threw it, and yelled "Dirty Harry, make my day! We're gonna kick ass in November!"
The crowd was cheering, and the humor had gained a palpable edge.
"We wanted to respond to the nonsense that he did last week," Saunders said later. "We're here to have fun but we're here to work, too, so we thought we were sending a message."
Saunders isn’t the only frustrated labor leader at the Democratic National Convention this year. American unions, in the throes of a long slide, have had perhaps their worst run ever facing not only the usual declining membership rolls, but also a public repudiation in a Wisconsin recall vote that centered on the place of public sector workers. Adding to that, the Democratic Party’s choice of Charlotte as the convention was a slap in the face: North Carolina has right-to-work laws and virtually no union presence. The fact that unions couldn’t influence the Democrats’ decision on location a testament to their less-than-omnipotent position.
And while labor leaders and rank-and-file profess to support Obama as much as ever, but the cracks are showing. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka told Politico that federation isn't bringing a full staff or even getting a skybox at the convention center. Battles in Ohio and Wisconsin have badly sapped union resources, a labor operative said. Other unions are focused down-ballot, labor operatives said, focused on saving the seats of true labor allies than of fighting for the national Democratic Party.
At the Ohio breakfast, in a large conference room fifteen minutes outside central Charlotte filled with people in AFSCME shirts and Obama buttons, delegates listened to Ohio Democrats and representatives from the Ironworkers, Steelworkers, and other unions pump them up.
“The Democratic Party is the party of labor,” said Tim Burga, president of the Ohio AFL-CIO. “The Democratic Party and its goals are aligned with the labor movement — social and economic justice.”
Burga exhorted the listeners to do everything they could to re-ensure Obama’s reelection: “We must leave everything out on the field this year to re-elect President Obama and re-elect senator Sherrod Brown.”
“They’re afraid of our power,” Saunders told the crowd in his blistering speech.
Martin O’Malley, the governor of Maryland and Democratic Governors’ Association chief, tailored his remarks to the labor crowd (he was also hitting less union-heavy Tennessee that morning).
“Unions have made our country better,” O’Malley said. “You all play a critical role. An absolutely critical role.”
O’Malley put the focus on Congressional races as well as Obama’s re-election, telling the audience that the president needed to be “given a better Congress.”
Later, O’Malley raised an eyebrow at BuzzFeed’s question about labor enthusiasm at the convention.
“The excitement-meter question?” he said. “We’re a big party and we are a national party and we need to reach out to voters all over the country, and that includes the people of North Carolina.”
“I’m not sure when the last time was, if ever, we had a Democratic Convention in North Carolina,” O’Malley said. “I certainly understand the perspective of the men and women of the labor movement, but at the same time this was a decision made as part of a national effort.”
“There will be other events I’m sure that happen in states where labor leaders feel more excited about going. But look, the bottom line is we’re a big country and North Carolina is an important state for us.”
Saunders doesn’t hide his disappointment with the selection of North Carolina as the convention state.
“Charlotte wouldn’t have been our choice as a city,” Saunders told reporters after his Ohio delegation breakfast speech. “It’s in a right to work state, it’s tough to organize down here for private and public sector unions. “
“But we’re beyond that now,” Saunders said. “I mean, it’s over. Charlotte was selected and we’ve got to keep our eyes on the prize and that’s to win in November, and we can’t get caught up in B.S. to be quite honest with you.”
Saunders struck a hopeful note. “We’re going to continue to move forward, we’re going to continue to organize. We’re going to be just fine.”
One of labor’s biggest problems, from the point of view of this election, is that its traditional organizing methods aren’t as useful as they once were in the era of super PACs, mega-rich conservative donors, and technologically advanced campaign techniques.
“Labor can be a significant factor, but what will be its value-added in this presidential election?” asked one labor operative, noting that conservative groups have caught up with labor’s field expertise. “’Boots on the ground’ has always been
labor's claim to fame.”
So the Democrats know that labor won’t be the most significant factor in this presidential election. The labor movement, for its part, is still charged with drumming up enthusiasm for a party that has slighted it.
George Tucker, the AFSCME regional director for the Toledo, Ohio area, has been a union member since 1966. He was resigned to the task at hand.
“We’re here, and we’ve got a job to do, and that’s to get the president and the vice-president elected,” Tucker said. “The people here have treated us well.”
Tucker said he thinks the enthusiasm among regular union members — most of whom at the breakfast were wearing Obama paraphernalia — was more pronounced in Charlotte than at home. “I think they are [excited] here at the convention. I think we need to go back and help the excitement build up with our members.”
“We’ve got to get out and get out the message out to the people,” Tucker said. “About what it means to the middle class to have a union.”
For the labor movement, no matter who the Democratic candidate is, the alternative will always be worse.
Romney “doesn’t have a clue what the average working person has to go through,” Tucker said. “Not only to get a job, but to keep a job. He doesn’t have a clue on that.”

A note from blogger: When the AFL-CIO says badly sapped resources. It means the programs meant to help layed off workers who were given help during time of lay-off and plant closings. Plants that had to be shut down in order for the union to help Democratic candidates, so I personally don't mind seeing the heads of unions kicking around a chair. People that are ususally assisted union and non-union Will probably not get help to find jobs and educational assistance, as well as many other social services they provide during an economic downturn.The reason they chose a state which was "right to work" escapes me.

 http://www.buzzfeed.com/rosiegray/labor-brings-its-frustrations-to-charlotte

A Happy Labor Day To All Union Members

Happy Labor Day to All Of My Union Brothers and Sisters

I Don't Want A Business God For President

  I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't want a business man for president. I would like to see someone like the president we already have now. So far all we've seen since Reagan is misery and unemployment. We've seen our medical community turn from compassionate and caring to one more business,  interested in only one thing. Profit. Have you ever wondered why we could cure polio, but with all the strides in genetics and stem cell research, another series of studies and experiments blocked by republicans in the name of God. The only God this society has is green. Envy and Money. My father-in-law always said. "Follow The Money", and I doubt that he was the first one to say it.

  My first recollection of any kind of change was  when we had to start bargaining for insurance. The christian thing to do would have been to cure with compassion instead of curing for dollars. We don't know what cures are out there that have been blocked because we still have a healthcare system run by greed.

  I'm not understanding the religious community and their interpretation of the Bible. They're not reading what I have read. If the New Testament is true, then God changed his philosophy very radically from the Old Testament. One of God ruling with an iron fist to sending his Son to give people a choice in which direction they want to go. So I tend not to pay any attention to ministers of this world. Many of them are trained by crackpots, and they are not the original mainline christian church, but part of the problem with man has always been that he liked to read into the Bible that which was not there to suit his own needs, and a good example of this is our last 30 years of Government as well as elections. So far religious hacks like Huckabee have not been able to infiltrate the government, but I don't know about this year. All I know is that the republican philosophy and the church, are one in the same. Praise the Lord and Pass the Plate, Let's all go out and celebrate. Corporations are people too. No. They're the new mafia. Politics has become a farce. And people seem to want to remain ignorant even if it is detrimental to their own way of life.

Damn shame about Clint Eastwood's bi-polar hallucinations

Let's pray for Clint, that he makes it through his psychological evaluation.

It would be a shame if that with that kind of talent, he is committed for hallucinations.

The Second Civil War

 

Writen By Phillips Thompson

Sung by Dan Bearden 

Note from blogger: I've done a lot of miners songs, and I've been a union member for as long as I can remember, but when I started singing miners songs, I realized that information about miners is very limited. I also realized that people don't seem to be interested in the profession unless a disaster occurs, but memories are very short about things that don't apply to them. 

 After some reading and posting songs, I began to wonder how many miners actually comfortably retire versus how many die, either on the job, or die from some job related disease, and while safety reulations have improved in the mines, union membership has dropped drastically, as it has in many occupations. The song and story on this page are typical in mining history. Newly elected officials would have the regulations drastically reduced. And new regulation either by the congress or President Obama is blocked or stalled. Have things changed as far as employee safety and abuse? Sure, but the retaliation by employers is more civilized. They no longer kill and and starve miners, but they retaliate by closing the doors and selling the businesses to keep unions out. The miner has it easier than he once did, but if it wasn't for regulation, mining companies wouldn't abide by regulation, and accidents, as well as occupational hazards would increase.Here's another link to reinforce this.

http://www.drudge.com/news/160427/claim-miners-forced-romney-event

A Letter From Alan Grayson

This weekend marks the anniversary of the most brutal confrontation in the history of the American labor movement, the Battle of Blair Mountain. For one week during 1921, armed, striking coal miners battled scabs, a private militia, police officers and the U.S. Army. One hundred people died, 1,000 were arrested, and one million shots were fired. It was the largest armed rebellion in America since the Civil War.

This is how it happened. In the '20s, West Virginia coal miners lived in "company towns." The mining companies owned all the property. They literally ran union organizers out of town -- or killed them.

In 1912, in a strike at Paint Creek, the mining company forced the striking miners and their families out of their homes, to live in tents. Then they sent armed goons into that tent city, and opened fire on men, women and children there with a machine gun.

By 1920, the United Mine Workers had organized the northern mines in West Virginia, but they were barred from the southern mines. When southern miners tried to join the union, they were fired and evicted. To show who was boss, one mining company tried to place machine guns on the roofs of buildings in town.

In Matewan, when the coal company goons came to town to take it upon themselves to enforce eviction notices, the mayor and the sheriff asked them to leave. The goons refused. Incredibly, the goons tried to arrest the sheriff, Sheriff Hatfield. Shots were fired, and the mayor and nine others were killed. But the company goons had to flee.

The government sided with the coal companies, and put Sheriff Hatfield on trial for murder. The jury acquitted him. Then they put the sheriff on trial for supposedly dynamiting a non-union mine. As the sheriff walked up the courthouse steps to stand trial again, unarmed, company goons shot him in cold blood. In front of his wife.

This led to open confrontations between miners on one hand, and police and company goons on the other. 13,000 armed miners assembled, and marched on the southern mines in Logan and Mingo Counties. They confronted a private militia of 2,000, hired by the coal companies.

President Harding was informed. He threatened to send in troops and even bombers to break the union. Many miners turned back, but then company goons started killing unarmed union men, and some armed miners pushed on. The militia attacked armed miners, and the coal companies hired airplanes to drop bombs on them. The U.S. Army Air Force, as it was known then, observed the miners' positions from overhead, and passed that information on to the coal companies.

The miners actually broke through the militia's defensive perimeter, but after five days, the Army intervened, and the miners stood down. By that time, 100 people were dead. Almost a thousand miners then were indicted for murder and treason. No one on the side of the coal companies was ever held accountable.

The Battle of Blair Mountain showed that the miners could not defeat the coal companies and the government in battle. But then something interesting happened: the miners defeated the coal companies and the government at the ballot box. In 1925, convicted miners were paroled. In 1932, Democrats won both the State House and the White House. In 1935, President Roosevelt signed the National Labor Relations Act. Eleven years after the Battle of Blair Mountain, the United Mine Workers organized the southern coal fields in West Virginia.

The Battle of Blair Mountain did not have a happy ending for Sheriff Hatfield, or his wife, or the 100 men, women and children who died, or the hundreds who were injured, or the thousands who lost their jobs. But it did have a happy ending for the right to organize, and the middle class, and America.

Now let me ask you one thing: had you ever heard of this landmark event in American history, the Battle of Blair Mountain, before you read this? And if not, then why not? Think about that.

Written by Rep. Alan Grayson 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-alan-grayson/battle-blair-mountain_b_1831204.html

Freedom the Teaparty Way

We must save this country from itself!

 

I guess if these guys can act like morons, I can too....

OH NO!!! Say It Aint So!!!!

Nahhhh!!!!

The Romney White Board

Ladies and Gentlemen...I should ignore my friend RWNJ Harold(1). Anyway, I had three revelations last night and that was the first. The 2nd one that came mind was when Romney started using the same whiteboard Psychopath Glen Beck used. The 3rd revelation was the commercial that has been running where the lady says, "Well...You're thin, white, and I'm bored."

Pennsylvania Miner

Some background from Wikipedia

On July 24, 2002, eighteen coal miners at the Quecreek Mine in Lincoln Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, owned by Black Wolf Coal Company accidentally dug into the abandoned, poorly documented Saxman Coal / Harrison #2 Mine Saxman mine, flooding the room and pillar mine with an estimated 50 million gallons of water. Both the Saxman Mine and Quecreek Mine are in the Upper Kittanning coal seam. The Upper Kittanning seam locally ranges in thickness from 38 to 62 inches (970–1,600 mm) and dips 1.7 to 2.3 degrees (3 to 4 percent) to the northwest.
The structural geology of the area caused the flooded mine void of the shallower Saxman Mine to be at a higher elevation than the active Quecreek Mine. The Saxman mine was located along the axis of the anticlinal Boswell Dome and the Quecreek Mine on the western flank of the anticline. The mine was opened by Quemahoning Creek Coal Company in 1913 as Quecreek No. 2 mine. Saxman Coal and Coke Company purchased the mine in 1925 and operated it until 1963 with an idle period from 1934 through 1941. The mine had also been named Saxman, Harrison, and most recently, Harrison No. 2. The miners were working on July 24, 2002 in the 1-Left panel. The 1-Left panel was driven up dip from the Mains for approximately 3,100 feet (940 m). The flooded abandoned mine was located immediately up dip of the Quecreek #1 mine permit boundary in the Upper Kittanning coal seam.
At approximately 9 p.m. on Wednesday, July 24, the eighteen miners were in danger 240 feet (73 m) underground, below the fields of Dormel Farm when the flooded Saxman mine was breached as the mining progressed eastward. Water had broken through the face and was inundating the entry, and the nine miners in the 1-Left panel area used the mine's phone system to notify the other group of nine miners in the 2-Left panel to evacuate immediately. These miners were able to escape at around 9:45 p.m. and alert others, and a 911 call was made at 9:53 p.m. However, the mine was flooding too rapidly for the miners in the 1-Left panel area to evacuate. Twice they tried to travel in the four-foot-high tunnels over 3,000 feet (910 m) to a shaft that would lead them to the surface, but these were also flooded. Back on the surface, Pennsylvania State Police were guarding the Quecreek mine site by 10:30 p.m., and instructed reporters to go to the local church for a press conference scheduled to occur later that night. State Police Cpl. Robert Barnes Jr. also telephoned families of missing miners asking them to come to the Sipesville firehouse for more information. Around 11 p.m., Barnes also asked United Methodist pastor, Barry Ritenour, if he could spend the night at the firehouse with the families. In addition, calls were made between 11:30 PM and 12 AM to find a drill that could bore a hole big enough to raise men from a mine. One was located in Clarksburg, West Virginia.
Water continued to rise in the mine during the morning hours of Thursday, July 25. During this time period, water levels rose to the portal entrance (inby means inward from mine entrance portal), as follows:

TIME	ELEVATION (ft.)	LOCATION
12:15 a.m.	1788.0	1,900’ inby portals
12:55 a.m.	1795.0	1,700’ inby portals
3:10 a.m.	1805.0	1,450’ inby portals
4:54 a.m.	1810.0	1,350’ inby portals
6:11 a.m.	1820.0	1,000’ inby portals
6:35 a.m.	1822.0	900’ inby portals
8:40 a.m.	1836.0	40’ inby portals
9:15 a.m.	1836.0+	Water coming out portals.

[edit] Rescue operations

With the mine portal entrances to Quecreek mine nearly under water, rescue operations started immediately. While pumping water would begin at all mine locations and any nearby residential and commercial water wells, the mine rescue first focused on getting air to the trapped miners. With the help of Bob Long, an engineer technician for Civil Mining Environmental Engineering, GPS measurements were made and a 6.5-inch-diameter (170 mm) borehole was begun at 2:05 a.m. The borehole was drilled to allow air to be pumped into the mineshaft where the miners were presumed to be, at the most up dip location near where the Saxman mine was breached. A four-member team started working about 3:15 a.m. Thursday, and its drill cracked through what turned out to be 240 feet (73 m) of rock, and into the mine shaft 1 hour and 45 minutes later. On Thursday, July 25, 2002, at 5:06 a.m., approximately 8 hours after the breakthrough, the 6.5-inch (170 mm) hole was drilled into the mine. The drilling rig's air compressor pushed air into the mine, and the air returns from the borehole showed a marginal air quality of 19.3 percent oxygen. Rescue workers tapped on the inserted air pipe, and at 5:12 a.m. received 3 strong bangs in response, followed by 9 taps 11:40 a.m.
However, while the drilling rig's compressed air rapidly increased the oxygen content of the mine air, monitors showed the rising water was approaching 1,825 feet (556 m) above sea level, and rescuers feared they had perhaps an hour before the area where the miners had taken refuge would be under water. Mine ventilation expert John Urosek, of the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety Health Administration, proposed creating a pressurized air pocket for the miners. Urosek's plan had never been tested in the United States, but despite some skepticism, calculations were made, and the hole was sealed around the air supply. The drill operator then used his rig's air compressor to pump and maintain 920 cubic feet per minute at a temperature of 197 degrees Fahrenheit at 90 pounds per square inch. The sound due to the high rate of pumped air deafened and hurt the miner's ears, but provided hope by the knowledge that rescuers knew where they were.
Meanwhile, an ongoing battle was to dewater the Quecreek Mine to allow rescue operations to be planned. Millions of gallons of water had to be pumped from the flooded coal mines as the water level needed to be lowered to prevent the loss of the air pocket in the mine area where the nine miners would congregate. Should a rescue hole penetrate the mine, the air pocket could escape and the air filled void area become flooded, and the miners would drown. The second grave concern was the quality of the air in the mine. Pumps were set up as they became available.
Work proceeded immediately to install pumps in the pit as they arrived. At 8:33 a.m. Thursday, the first of several diesel pumps arrived at the mine site. Before this pump arrived, only two submersible pumps were operating in the sump area of the pit. At 11:05 a.m., water was four to five feet deep in the mine pit entrance. Water in the pit reached a maximum elevation of 1,856.8 feet (566.0 m) at approximately 4:00 p.m., Thursday, July 25.
High-capacity diesel pumps were installed in the pit and put into operation in the afternoon. A 6-inch (150 mm) drop in the water level was reported between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. The pumping discharge rate fluctuated constantly as new pumps arrived and changes were made. The maximum pumping rate achieved was approximately 27,000 gpm at the mine pit. Additional borehole locations were surveyed on the surface for holes to be drilled into the lowest area in the mine. Additional dewater holes were drilled to accelerate dewatering.
Back underground, rising water covered the air shaft, preventing the miners from tapping on the pipe, though for a time they used a hammer to bang on the rock ceiling, detectable by seismic equipment which was brought in by Federal mining officials. By noon Thursday the miners had to retreat to the highest ground, about 300 feet (91 m) from the airshaft, near Entry No. 1. With water rising 70 feet (21 m) away, Fogle estimated that they had about an hour left to live. Notes were written, prayers were said, and most of the miners roped themselves together, to die as a family. However, as dewatering continued, they noticed and confirmed the water had ceased to rise. Switching to survival mode, the drenched miners sought to conserve resource and sat back to back to fight hypothermia in their 50°F environment. Crew chief Fogle in particular encouraged them, confident of rescue. Hall's lunch pail was discovered floating and was retrieved, with the still dry corned beef sandwich his wife had made him, and a bottle of Pepsi, while Foy found two Mountain Dews on one of their machines. The miners at this point could hear the drilling getting nearer, but at 1:50 a.m. Friday it stopped.
A "super drill", capable of drilling a 30-inch (760 mm) hole, had been sent with police escort up from West Virginia. Once oxygen purging began, drillers had begun the 30-inch Rescue Hole No. 1 at 6:45 p.m., Thursday, July 25, to intersect 1-Left section. It was located approximately 20 feet (6.1 m) away from the 6.5-inch (170 mm) ventilation hole, and was drilled to a 105-foot (32 m) depth by 1:12a.m., Friday, July 26, when the drill bit broke. The distance from this point to the mine was estimated at 139 feet (42 m). At 3:45 a.m. a portion of the bit was retrieved from the hole, but it was discovered that part of the bit had broken off and remained stuck in the hole. A special tool was needed to be fabricated in order to assist in retrieving the bit. Normally, such a job would be done in three or four days, but a 95-member machine shop in Big Run, Jefferson County, was enabled to build the tool in approximately three hours. A National Guard helicopter flew the tool in, and the bit was retrieved from Rescue Hole No. 1 at 4:09 p.m. on July 26, 2002.
The failure of drilling equipment stopped progress at this borehole for about 18 hours. The miners were concerned. Foley opined that they might have plugged up or might have broken a bit, and reassured the others that drilling would surely begin again. The miners' relatives were taken to the mine on the afternoon of the 25th and briefed on the rescue effort. Governor Mark Schweiker visited the site that night, said at a news briefing later that they "are in a very fragile state. We may need a little help from the Almighty." He also stated that "We are bringing every asset that is necessary to complete this rescue operation", and that anything less than the rescue of all nine of the men would be unacceptable.
As mine dewatering was progressing that would allow safe penetration of the rescue borehole, the nation and the world watched and waited, radios played at picnics during this summer weekend, and updates passed at gasoline dispensers and grocery lines. Multitudes from around the world called, emailed, and prayed in support of the rescue. The news media covered the story with hopeful reporting, as many were returning to stay at the same Somerset hotels they occupied while covering the Flight 93 crash site located ten miles (16 km) away.
A new 30-inch (760 mm) bit arrived from West Virginia at 7:00 p.m. Friday, but due to its nominally larger size, the hole had to be enlarged from the surface. This operation started at approximately 8:40 p.m. on Friday. Enlarging the first rescue hole with the new 30-inch (760 mm) bit began at 1 a.m. on July 27, 2002, but later stopped to replace the sleeve. At 2:30 p.m. drilling was stopped again as the operation damaged the outer cutting bits and a new bit assembly was needed. At 3:30 a.m. a decision was made to change to a 26-inch (660 mm) bit since there was one available 7 miles (11 km) south of the mine in Somerset, PA, and it would accommodate the rescue capsule. At 6:30 a.m. the installation of the new 26-inch bit was completed and drilling resumed.
One possibility that was feared at this point was that of breaking into the chamber too quickly, resulting in the water in the mine rushing upward and drowning the miners. An additional and possibly fatal danger was that of the miners being afflicted with decompression sickness, due to their breathing air which was at a higher pressure than the surface pressure, due to the pressure of the surrounding water. In preparation for these possibilities, an airlock was fashioned to go on top of the escape shaft, and on Thursday evening, 10 portable hyperbaric chambers arrived at the drilling site. Drilling continued until 1:38 p.m. on July 27, 2002, when it was stopped to install the air lock and wait for the water to be pumped down to an elevation of 1,829 feet (557 m) mean sea level (“MSL”), approximately 10 feet (3.0 m) below the portal elevation.
Drilling started again at 4:45 p.m., but at 8:11 p.m. the rings in the airlock failed and had to be repaired. At 8:58 p.m. the repairs were completed on the No. 1 drill air lock and drilling resumed. At 10 p.m. the water elevation was 1827.92 mean sea level (MSL). The No. 1 drill cut-through into the mine at 10:16 p.m. at a depth of 239.6 feet (73.0 m), which was then lower than the elevation of the mine’s portal.
Drilling of a second escape hole had also been underway, in case one was needed. At 7 a.m. on July 27, 2002, this hole was at a depth of 160 feet (49 m) when drilling became very hard, and at 1:31 p.m. the No. 2 drill lost its bit, hammer, and reamer in the borehole at approximately 204 feet (62 m). Repairs were being made when Rescue Hole No. 1 broke through into the mine, and drilling then ceased.
After Rescue Hole No. 1 broke through into the mine, rescuers signaled the trapped miners by tapping on the 6-inch (150 mm) drill steel with a hammer, and a faint response was heard. The miners had been taking turns walking every 10 or 15 minutes 250 feet (76 m) down the passageway from their high ground location to check the area where the drilling sounds were coming from. When Hileman and Foy made the trek on Saturday at about 10:15 p.m. their cap lamps were dim, but that is when they found the drill opening and Hileman alerted the others.
Immediately after the rescue hole penetrated the mine, all equipment was shut down in order to take an accurate relative air pressure reading between the mine and surface atmospheres. The pressure reading was zero, indicating that the pressures were equal and that the airlock would not be required. The compressor was turned off and the drill steels were removed from the 6-inch (150 mm) hole. At 10:53 p.m. a special pen-shaped, two-way communication device was lowered into the 6-inch air pipe, with a child's glow stick attached to it for visibility in the dark mine. Communication was established with the miners who confirmed that all nine were alive and well, except for the foreman who was experiencing chest pains.
At 12:30 a.m. on July 28, 2002, the 8½-foot high steel mesh escape capsule, with supplies, descended into Rescue Hole No. 1, into the void where the men had languished in fear and hope for 77 hours. Due to recurring chest pains, foremen Randy Fogle was chosen to be the first rescued miner, and arrived on the surface at approximately 1:00 a.m. on July 28, 2002. The removal order of the rest of the crew was based upon weight, the heaviest to lightest, as the last would have no assistance getting into the capsule. The miners were brought up in 15-minute intervals, and all nine miners were on the surface at 2:45 a.m.
None of the miners suffered from the decompression sickness, and they were transferred either by helicopter (flying at low altitudes) or by ambulance to hospitals. However, as the drill shaft had gone through an aquifer, then in their final exits the miners had been drenched in yet another torrent of cold water. Extremities were purple and mottled from immersion, and trauma surgeon Dr. Russell Dumire stated, "They were freezing cold,...It looked like if you rubbed real hard against their feet, you could rub the skin right off." The lowest body temperature among the miners was about 92.5 degrees, the warmest at 96.8, versus normal body temperature of 98.6.^[1][2][3]

[edit] Miners

In order of rescue:

• Randall Fogle
• Harry "Blaine" Mayhugh, Jr.
• Thomas "Tucker" Foy
• John Unger
• John Phillippi
• Ron Hileman
• Dennis J. Hall
• Robert Pugh, Jr.
• Mark Popernack

Randall Fogle was the most seriously affected of the nine miners and complained of chest pains upon his rescue. All have since made full recoveries. While some are still in the industry, Fogle is the only member of the group who still works underground. Dennis Hall retired from the industry and vowed never to mine again.

[edit] Aftermath

An investigation was completed by the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration. The primary cause of the water inundation was the use of an undated and uncertified mine map of the Harrison No. 2 mine that did not show the complete and final mine workings. Using this map led to an inaccurate depiction of the Harrison No. 2 mine workings on the Quecreek #1 mine map required by the Mine Safety and Health Administration and on the certified mine map submitted to the State of Pennsylvania during the permitting process. The root cause of the accident was the unavailability of a certified final mine map for Harrison No. 2 mine in the State of Pennsylvania's mine map repository. Governor Mark Schweiker convened an investigation committee in the days after the rescue was completed, paying particular attention to the actions of the Black Wolf Coal Company, which had been previously cited 25 times for violations.
The MSHA report concluded: "The rescue of the trapped miners was a major success. Fogle’s decision and Hall’s persistence to immediately notify the miners in 2-Left section was life saving because of the rapid inflow of water. Without that timely warning they would not have been able to escape. Additionally, the 1-Left section crew’s decisions to stay together, work as a team, and go to the highest ground were crucial for their survival. The miners who escaped the inrush of water made similarly good decisions. Their knowledge of escape ways and escape procedures aided their escape. The fast actions of company officials in calling for assistance of expert personnel and appropriate equipment, and the rapid response of those contacted played a major role in the success of this rescue."
A memorial park was created at the farm field where the drilling rescue operations occurred. The park is at Dormel Farms lies to the north of the Somerset County Historical Society on Route 985.
A few books were written about the account. The miners themselves wrote a book about their ordeal.
In 2002, the story was dramatized by ABC in a television movie, The Pennsylvania Miners' Story.^[4]
In 2003, rescuer Bob Long committed suicide, a reminder that depression often follows the event among those involved in high-profile rescues.^[5]
In 2004, Bill and Lori Arnold, the owners of Dormel Farms where the rescue took place, wrote their memories of the rescue in a book coauthored by Joyann Dwire entitled Miracle at Dormel Farms. It purports to describe a "series of smaller miracles which culminated in the Miracle Of Quecreek—the rescue of nine miners".^[6]
In 2010, the rescue was featured on the documentary, I Survived... on Bio.
In 2010, the rescue was featured on the documentary, Get Out Alive on the Discovery Channel
The Dropkick Murphys song "Buried Alive" on their 2003 album Blackout is a tribute to the Quecreek Mine rescue.
Buddy Miller's song "Quecreek" from his 2002 album Midnight And Lonesome chronicles the accident and rescue.
Local singer–songwriter John Larimer provides an intimate account of events surrounding the rescue in his song "He Said Yes" which became a local favorite on WMTZ radio, Johnstown, PA.
Singer–songwriter Anaïs Mitchell recorded a song entitled "Quecreek Flood" on her 2004 album Hymns for the Exiled. The song explores the political and personal implications of the mining disaster.

Mel's Hole

On a sleepless night nearly a decade ago, I sat on the edge of my bed for hours listening to the most bizarre tale ever told. The story of Mel's Hole fascinated me, and to my delight, many more people across the country. So for those who are intrigued but have never heard the tale from the man himself, I present to you a collection of classic Art Bell radio broadcasts featuring Mel Waters for your

downloading pleasure.

As always, if you have any additional or better quality audio, please drop me a line at I'd love to include it here. Here it is

Two Teaparty members were arrested by federal authorities after lowering themselves into the notorious Mels Hole. The normally quiet infinite hole began making sounds of wailing and screaming, and sounding like opening up of the world of the damned. The two gentlemen were arrested when they reached bottom and found themselves in the House of Representatives.

Miners Diseases

NIOSH Office of Mine Safety and Health Research Topic Respiratory diseases

Respiratory diseases affect the structures and organs that are involved in breathing. These include the nose, throat, larynx, trachea, bronchi, and lungs. Miners may develop various occupationally-related respiratory diseases based on the materials they work with and how much exposure they have had to them. Pneumoconiosis is a general term for diseases of the lungs caused by the inhalation of respirable-sized dusts. Respirable dust is defined as being less than 10 micrometers in diameter, and dust of this size is normally not visible. Airborne respirable dust that is inhaled by miners can be deposited in the lungs and cause damage to the lung tissue. In mining, the cutting, breaking, crushing, drilling, or grinding of coal, ore and surrounding rock produces airborne respirable dust. If sufficient dust is deposited in the lungs and lung damage occurs, a miner can develop pneumoconiosis. Although mild cases of pneumoconiosis may not produce any symptoms, there is a danger that the disease could progress to become disabling or fatal. Coal Workers´ Pneumoconiosis (CWP), commonly called Black Lung, is a lung disease caused by inhaling excessive amounts of respirable coal mine dust. The likelihood of developing CWP increases with exposure to higher levels of respirable dust in the mine air and more time spent working in coal mining. Since 1970, NIOSH has offered periodic lung examinations to miners through the Coal Workers' X-Ray Surveillance Program. Seven percent of miners examined in the X-Ray Surveillance Program between 2005 and 2009 who had 25 or more years of experience, were diagnosed with pneumoconiosis. Another form of pneumoconiosis that is of great concern to miners is silicosis, a disabling and often fatal lung disease caused by breathing respirable-sized dust that contains elevated levels of crystalline silica, or quartz. In mining, crystalline silica can often be found in rock strata associated with or surrounding the material being mined. Silica-containing dust is more toxic than coal dust. Of people who died of silicosis during the 1990s, mining machine operator was the occupation most frequently listed on the death certificate. Other forms of pneumoconioses can be caused by inhaling dusts containing aluminum, antimony, barium, graphite, iron, kaolin, mica, and talc, among other dusts. Once contracted, pneumoconioses (especially silicosis) cannot be cured, so it is critical to prevent the development of these diseases by reducing the respirable dust exposure of miners. Miners may also develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) which is a progressive disease that limits the amount of air that can be moved into and out of the lungs. COPD can become a disabling condition. The work in this topic area is supported by the NIOSH Mining Diesel Monitoring and Control and Dust Monitoring and Control programs. See the NIOSH Mining Products page for software, guides, training materials or other items related to this topic.

Respiratory Diseases Spotlights Benchmarking Longwall Dust Control Technology and Practices (PDF, 1003 KB, 2011) The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted a series of benchmark surveys at longwall operations across the country to identify current operating practices and the types of controls being used. Gravimetric and instantaneous dust sampling was completed to quantify the dust levels generated by major sources on the longwall section and to identify different control technologies in use today. Substantial reductions in dust levels were realized at sampling locations on the face when compared with longwall surveys conducted in the 1990s. Results from the underground dust surveys and current longwall dust control technology and operating practices will be discussed. Evaluation of the Approach to Respirable Quartz Exposure Control in U.S. Coal Mines (PDF, 258 KB, 2012) Occupational exposure to high levels of respirable quartz can result in respiratory and other diseases in humans. The Mine Safety and Health Adminstration (MSHA) regulates exposure to respirable quartz in coal mines indirectly through reductions in the respirable coal mine dust exposure limit based on the content of quartz in the airborne respirable dust. Field Evaluation of Air-blocking Shelf for Dust Control on Blasthole Drills (PDF, 443 KB, 2011) In previous studies, an air-blocking shelf has been shown to be successful in reducing respirable dust leakage from the drill shroud in a laboratory setting. Dust reductions of up to 81 percent were achieved with the shelf under operating conditions consisting of a 1.9:1 collector-to-bailing airflow ratio and a 5.1-cm gap between the shroud and ground. Recent research focused on evaluating the shelf on two actual operating blasthole drills, in much more severe environments. In the field, the shelf reduced dust levels in the areas surrounding one operating blasthole drill by 70 percent. Dust reductions measured in the immediate vicinity of the shroud were reduced by 66 percent at one mine and 81 percent at the other mine. These field tests confirm that the air-blocking shelf is useful for reducing respirable dust generation from blasthole drills. A New Leak Test Method for Enclosed Cab Filtration Systems (PDF, 2012) AbstractA new test method has been developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and Clean Air Filter (CAF) for quantifying the outside air leakage into environmental cab filtration systems.

Measurement & analysis

Evaluation of the Approach to Respirable Quartz Exposure Control in U.S. Coal Mines (PDF, 258 KB, 2012)
Occupational exposure to high levels of respirable quartz can result in respiratory and other diseases in humans. The Mine Safety and Health Adminstration (MSHA) regulates exposure to respirable quartz in coal mines indirectly through reductions in the respirable coal mine dust exposure limit based on the content of quartz in the airborne respirable dust.
A New Leak Test Method for Enclosed Cab Filtration Systems (PDF, 2012)
AbstractA new test method has been developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and Clean Air Filter (CAF) for quantifying the outside air leakage into environmental cab filtration systems.

Engineering controls

Benchmarking Longwall Dust Control Technology and Practices (PDF, 1003 KB, 2011)
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted a series of benchmark surveys at longwall operations across the country to identify current operating practices and the types of controls being used. Gravimetric and instantaneous dust sampling was completed to quantify the dust levels generated by major sources on the longwall section and to identify different control technologies in use today. Substantial reductions in dust levels were realized at sampling locations on the face when compared with longwall surveys conducted in the 1990s. Results from the underground dust surveys and current longwall dust control technology and operating practices will be discussed.
Field Evaluation of Air-blocking Shelf for Dust Control on Blasthole Drills (PDF, 443 KB, 2011)
In previous studies, an air-blocking shelf has been shown to be successful in reducing respirable dust leakage from the drill shroud in a laboratory setting. Dust reductions of up to 81 percent were achieved with the shelf under operating conditions consisting of a 1.9:1 collector-to-bailing airflow ratio and a 5.1-cm gap between the shroud and ground. Recent research focused on evaluating the shelf on two actual operating blasthole drills, in much more severe environments. In the field, the shelf reduced dust levels in the areas surrounding one operating blasthole drill by 70 percent. Dust reductions measured in the immediate vicinity of the shroud were reduced by 66 percent at one mine and 81 percent at the other mine. These field tests confirm that the air-blocking shelf is useful for reducing respirable dust generation from blasthole drills.