[Vision2020] Saftey violations at Sago

[Phil Nisbet]

>From Wikipedia

Safety violations

The Sago Mine is operated by the Ashland, Kentucky-based International Coal 
Group (ICG), which bought the mine from its bankrupt owner, Anker West 
Virginia Mining Company, in November 2005. Opened in 1999, the mine was 
closed for two years beginning in 2002. A slope mine, it employs 145 miners 
and produces 800,000 tons (720,000 tonnes) of coal a year.

In 2005, the mine was cited by the federal Mine Safety and Health 
Administration (MSHA) 208 times for violating regulations, up from 68 in 
2004. Of those, 96 were considered significant and substantial. [13] 
Additionally, West Virginia's Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training 
issued 144 citations over that year, up from 74 the previous year.

Some of those citations were for violations that could have been factors in 
the accident, such as failure to control methane and coal-dust accumulation, 
failure to properly shore up shafts against collapse and overall 
deficiencies in emergency planning.

However, MSHA reports that none of the violations were considered to be an 
"immediate risk of injury" and that all but three violations, related to 
shoring up the roof, were corrected by the time of the accident. They say 
the increased violations were related to increased inspections.[14]

Mining operations at the Sago Mine more than doubled between 2004 and 2005, 
prompting MSHA to dramatically increase – by 84% – its on-site inspection 
and enforcement presence. As a result, MSHA also took significantly more 
enforcement actions – 208 in total – against Sago Mine in 2005, requiring 
the operator to quickly correct health and safety violations in accordance 
with federal Mine Act standards.

MSHA records also showed that since the year 2000, Sago miners had suffered 
42 injuries that resulted in lost work time. In 2004 the mine's injury rate 
for hours worked was nearly three times the national average.

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So, the facts are that at the time of the lightening caused explosion, only 
three violations were still not corrected.  ICG, who took over from 
bankrupted Anker, cleaned up what was a very sloppy operation.  MSHA was on 
the job enough that the increased safety violations and the potential 
bankruptcy of Anker had increased its regulatory presence at the mine and 
insisted that quick remedial action be taken.

What not one of them could know was that a massive lightening strike of 35 
kAmps would hit the mine portal at the same time that 100 strikes hit the 
general area and caused an increase in methane gas release from the coal 
seam.  Two seconds following the big bolt, the mine exploded.

There are no regulations for grounding of a coal mine from lightening storms 
or for removal of men from underground during such a storm.

Phil Nisbet

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