Federal officials are optimistic that post-disaster action taken to improve the nation's coal mines are beginning to work, but continued focus on the "bad guys" is still necessary.
Since beefing up inspectors and safety precautions with 2006 legislation following several major mining disasters, including one at the Sago mine in West Virginia, great strides seem to have been made toward coal safety. That was, until the April 5, 2010, mine explosion at Upper Big Branch, said Kevin Stricklin, coal administrator for the Mine Safety and Health Administration.
"On April the 4th, 2010, if someone asked me how we were doing in the mining industry, I would say we were doing pretty well," Stricklin said.
In fact, Stricklin points out, the day of the accident he was on a plane to visit an MSHA district and celebrate their success.
"It set everybody back," Stricklin told the West Virginia Coal Association on the opening day of its annual symposium. "The whole mining industry – you, me, the miners – and basically we're still trying to get out of that situation we were in and move forward."
That's not to say there had been no improvements to mine safety between Sago and Upper Big Branch, Stricklin pointed out.
"In the first eight hours after UBB, we had found all but four of the miners underground and we had approximately 20 rescue teams on site, which was a flaw before 2006 when we had trouble getting mines to promote the idea of mine rescue teams," Stricklin said. "I thought that was a very good example of how the 2006 Miner Act came into play and helped."
Following UBB, Stricklin said, the agency had a renewed sense of security of the viability of underground rescue chambers as well.
"The UBB tragedy showed that the rescue chambers in place, even after the explosion did continue to function," he said. "So if we can get miners, if for some reason we can't get them out of a mine, and that's what we want to do, if they go to a chamber, we're feeling better about the opportunity those chambers will sustain life."
Between 2006 and the Upper Big Branch disaster in 2010, Stricklin said, there was a downward trend in fatalities.
"That's what we're measured on – we're in a negative industry here, folks," Stricklin said. "How many fatalities have occurred, how many serious accidents, how many violations were issued, how much money was assessed with those penalties. It's very rare that you hear anything good. You can't measure good."
One of MSHA's initiatives was to begin routine impact inspections of mines that had been targeted for increased enforcement action. Impact inspections, Stricklin explained, were part of MSHA Assistant Secretary Joe Main's priority of making sure there wasn't "another disaster waiting to occur.
"The results were discouraging to me," Stricklin said of the impact inspections. "What we found out when we kind of snuck into a mine was not the same as when were typically at a mine."
Stricklin said a number of problems, including coal dust "so thick" inspectors could barely see in the mine, were found at numerous places.
"We're trying to pick on the bad guys," Stricklin said. "When we have free time and we do these impact inspections, we try to pick on the bad guys. That's something that Joe has instilled in me that he wants me to continue to do."
Though far from every mine is fraught with so many potential violations, he said, one bad actor is enough to raise concern.
"If it happens at one place, and something happens, it gives you and MSHA a bad name and we have to live with that," Stricklin said. "Basically, what we are trying to do, in our efforts, is eradicate those places that do that."
One mine, for example, was targeted for an impact inspection five times, Stricklin said. Each time, inspectors found similar violations.
"If something ever happens there, it's a black eye on all of us," Stricklin said.
Stricklin did tell representatives of the industry they appear to be doing a better job of self-correcting and identifying potential safety violations.
"I can't say that we are increasing enforcement," Stricklin said. "If you look at our numbers for 2010 to 2011, we decreased nationally in the number of citations and orders we issued by 2010. The numbers are going down, even though the past couple of months the number of mechanized mining units have increased."
Recently, MSHA's District 4 was split into two districts. District 4 and District 12 are still among the largest of MSHA's districts.
Stricklin said the large size of the district and volume of requests dealt with could have potentially been a factor in the Upper Big Branch explosion.
"I think it is," Stricklin said. "That's something we heard about, or had recommended for years – that District 4 needs to be split up. But I think it really came to a point at UBB, when you start looking at the magnitude of all the plans that needed to be submitted to that particular district, including UBB."
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