Friday, March 23, 2012

Safety panel says big mine disaster could have been prevented if federal agency had done its job

If the Mine Safety and Health Administration had properly enforced the law, "it would have lessened the chances of — and possibly could have prevented" the explosion that killed 29 miners at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia almost two years ago, a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health panel given to the mine agency yesterday.

"It’s a remarkable conclusion," writes Ken Ward Jr. of The Charleston Gazette. "The panel’s report puts quite a different face on things than MSHA, the Obama administration, and congressional Democrats (not to mention repeated editorials from The New York Times) have tried to push in their effort to downplay MSHA’s failings and protect their friend, agency chief and former United Mine Workers safety director Joe Main."

Ward contrasted the report with MSHA's internal review of the case and posted a copy of the NIOSH report here.

No comments: