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 Post subject: Why does Coal Mining get a bad rap - Safety
PostPosted: Mon May 25, 2009 12:18 pm 
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What is the deal with Mine Safety and the media and the public in general?

It seems to me that the general public has a skewed opinion of mine safety that the fact may not bear out.

I was on MSHA's webpage and they listed fatalities for the year. I don't mean to down play any incident but, The Metal/Non-metal number was higher than the Coal and the Coal was all surface. Several of the incidents were industrial accidents that had little to do with mining other than they happened at a mine.

But the average person on the street thinks Coal Mining is un-safe and U/G is off the scale

It may have to do with the concept of airplane crashes, Dozens of people get killed each day in auto accidents that don't make the news, but let 1 plane go down and it will be the lead story on the 6 o'clock.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon May 25, 2009 12:20 pm 
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Location: Within 60 Miles of the Northern Anthracite Field
thats what i say, the most dangerous part of mining is driving to the mine!

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon May 25, 2009 10:53 pm 
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Location: Broken Hill
the "media" for the most part drives a desk....and anything more than a desk scares the sh## out of them....I worked all day today by myself..cutting skidding and decking logs that weigh about 3500 lbs each, dangerous? no ,part of the job. I've been in a few mines...got me a little nervous.. but I can see it's kind of the same work...just part of the job...THOSE people need to see where ther electric and paper come from.......try plastic toilet paper if you don't like logging

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 26, 2009 12:33 pm 
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Chris,

I put your statement to task. Now there are any number of ways to crunch numbers. And the old saying is true: "Liars figure and figures lie."

While your statement is a bit of a streach it isn't too far off.

Vehicle fatalities per year, per 100,000 population : 13.61

Coal Mine fatalities per year, per 100,000 miners: 26.8

Metal/Non-metal mines: 12.9

Population of Lackawanna County, Pa: 209,408
Population of Luzerne county: 311,983


CONCLUSIONS:

It is safer working in a M/NM mine than driving a car.

Coal mining is twice as dangerous as driving a car. ( It may be safe to say coal mining is safer than riding motorcycles.)

Twice as many people are killed in Lackawanna/Luzerne Counties each year in car accidents as are killed in all coal mines combined.


Sources:

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/department ... N_2007.htm


http://www.msha.gov/MSHAINFO/FactSheets/MSHAFCT10.HTM

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 26, 2009 2:33 pm 
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nice figuring, only problem is there is no mining being done in lackawanna and luzerne counties anymore. of course im refering to deep mining as there are a few strippings open still. can you do some stats for the southern counties?

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 26, 2009 3:00 pm 
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I think you misunderstood the statement.

I don't have actual traffic fatalties for those counties, the number is based on population and the national rate. The coal mine data is inclusive for ALL coal mines nationally.


MSHA reports an average of 33.66 miners killed in coal mines each year and that is stable of about the last 10 years.

I estimate the traffic fatalities in the Northern Counties at 70.9 per year.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 26, 2009 3:21 pm 
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Ok Chris,

Here are actual figures for traffic fatalites in the coal region: (years 2003 - 2007)


5-year Average
Lackawanna 22.4
Luzerne 44
Schuylkill 31.4
Northumberland 17


COMMENTS:

My estimate for Lackawanna/Luzerne was a bit higher than the actual numbers. ( 66.4 vs 70.9 estimated)

Schuylkill County is quite comparable . ( 31.4 Traffic deaths vs 33.66 national Coal mine deaths per year)

Source:
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/department ... y_2007.HTM

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 26, 2009 4:23 pm 
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Location: Binghamton, NY
My take on the whole thing is take a look at how mining has been portrayed through the generations. Our museums, tours, books, and documentaries show mining as a dangerous job, with low wages. The life of the miner and his family is constantly shown as poverty, with injuries and death a part of the norm. The dead are carried to the widow's doorstep and left there.

This kind of information is all people learn about. What they seem to forget is that mining has evolved from that. Regulations, engineering, safety equipment and training make it much safer than it was in 1890. Any job with moving equipment has risks. And wages seem to be quite good compared to long ago, especially when you have experience.

So it's just what the lifestyle has been shown to be for generations, and not what it is now.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 26, 2009 5:51 pm 
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OK, I like to crunch numbers.

Looking again at the traffic numbers for Schuylkill County.

2004 - 2007 Average per 100,000 population: 20.8

Year 2004: 27.3


CONCLUSIONS:

In 2004 a person was safer working in a Coal mine than driving in Schuylkill County.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed May 27, 2009 5:19 pm 
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Location: Hard coal region, PA
Nice! I like it...

I like Digger's response! 8)

with what Johnr said about museums/ books/ etc all showing coal mining as a low paying, dangerous, dead-end job, I can't tell you how many people look at us all dirty after we come out of the mine and shake their heads with a sad look on their face. I've seen it soo much.. Its like people think they're looking at someone whos probably going to be dead in a few years because of their job. Its a lack of understanding really.... People don't like to look at the real facts - only what is portrayed to them through media sources.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed May 27, 2009 5:31 pm 
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especially the fratelli's girls :wink:

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed May 27, 2009 5:32 pm 
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Location: Hard coal region, PA
:evil:

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed May 27, 2009 5:44 pm 
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Truth Hurts

Beside, She's thinkin' there no way I'm even getting close to that laundry.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed May 27, 2009 5:57 pm 
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youre not helping doug. :evil:

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed May 27, 2009 6:15 pm 
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You have to admit you take gettin' dirty to the expert level.

And the "dirty gene" on located on the Y Chromosome.

It's a guy thing and the gals will not get it.

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