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INSIDE
THIS ISSUE
1-3
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Coal Fatalities 4-5
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GLS Has a Busy Year in 2010 5
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New Personnel6
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Chinese Delegation 6
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2010 Tradeshows andConferences 6
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Virginia DEQ State LeadContract Awarded 
Coal Mining Related Fatalities . . .
Where Are We Going?
by John E. Feddock, P.E. – Lexington Office
In 2009 mining fatalitiesfell to an all-time low for the second straight year,with 18 fatalities in the coalmine sector. While 18 coalmining fatalities in one yearis still 18 too many, those in the industry thought theirefforts to improve coal minesafety were finally com-ing to a new dawn. This was the focus of theBluefield Coal Symposium sponsored by theGreater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce, fromSeptember 20 through September 22, 2010 inBluefield, West Virginia. The Symposium was titled; “Continuing on the Road to Zero.” The zeroof course means zero lost time accidents andzero fatalities. This year’s speakers were facedwith the difficult task of defining the steps being taken and programs in place to reduce injuriesin the mining industry, for despite the success in2009, there have been 44 miners’ lives lost thisyear. Especially poignant was the loss of 29 min-ers during the April 5 explosion incident at theUpper Big Branch (UBB) mine in Raleigh County,West Virginia. The shock of losing so many livesat one time is even more dramatic when oneconsiders the tremendous improvements madeby the industry in the last ten years. I was invited to speak at the symposium on the “Progress inCoal Mine Safety”, which I expanded to ask thequestion “Coal Mining Related Fatalities, whereare we going? - A year end 2009 Perspective ofMine Safety”
Marshall Miller & Associates
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For more information regardingany news story, contact TracyPaine at (804) 314-1684 or e-mailat
tracy.paine@mma
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MILLER HILITES
ISSUE 022 • WINTER 2010
John E. Feddock Lexington, KY 
Office Locations in KS, KY, LA, NC, PA, TN, VA, WV
 
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Despite the circumstances that may have caused the UBBincident, which are still under investigation, the coal industry hadindeed made tremendous gains between 2000 and 2009. Gainscontinued to be achieved, as I’ll explain below, when faced with thelargest economic recession since the 1930's, a time when the coalindustry is under assault not only by the environmental community,but by a sensation seeking new media, and a governmentbureaucracy determined, it seems, to stamp out coal as an energysource by regulation.The facts in 2009:• Lowest number of coal mining fatalities and lowest non fataldays lost by injured employees ever.• Decline in the number of underground coal mines, especiallyin Appalachia, while the number of surface coal minesremained relatively constant.• Underground coal production continued its downward trend,at a rate relatively consistent since 1998.• Man-hours worked remained relatively constant in 2008 and2009 in underground and surface coal mines, and this levelis about 20 percent higher than the manhours worked in coalmines during a low point in 2003.• Mining employment was up, with increases in theunderground sector and a steady state at the surface coalmines.OBSERVATION: the rate of accidents decreased during a decadewhen mining employment and manhours spent mining coalincreased dramatically.The NFDL rate in coal declined by more than 60 percent in 10years. No Other Industry achieved the large reductions in non fataldays lost due to injuries in such a short period of time than the coalindustry during the last ten years. BUT, what about fatalities? Asshown below Coal Company efforts have decreased fatalities alongwith the NFDL rate, but there are increasing spikes every few yearsdue to a number of multiple fatality accidents.2010 – Upper Big Branch – 29 FatalitiesDotiki Mine – 2 Fatalities2007 – Crandall Canyon – 9 FatalitiesGibson County – 3 Fatalities2006 – Sago – 12 FatalitiesAracoma – 2 FatalitiesKentucky Darby – 5 Fatalities2001 – Jim Walters No. 5 – 13 Fatalities1996 – Mostly Single FatalitiesMSHA took most of the credit for the reductions in 2009, by stating“Contributing to the 2009 record low number of deaths is the enforcementof the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (which succeeded the1969 Mine Act) and continued implementation of the Mine Improvementand New Emergency Response (MINER) Act, enacted by Congress in 2006.”Beginning in 2008, MSHA increased the number of its inspections, assessingover 84,000 citations and orders for violation of the mine safety and healthrequirements, and assessing penalties in excess of $140 million. Did thenumber of increased citations, orders, and penalties actually improve safetyin the coal mines?MSHA dramatically increased the number of citations written in 2008for both surface and underground mines as shown in the accompanyinggraphs. Since 2005, underground violations grew by 60 percent. The top 20citations accounted for approximately 50 percent of the citations written. Of the Top 20 citations written during the period through 2009, “Accumulationof Combustible Material” (30 CFR§75.400) was the most frequently issuedcitation.
05101520253035404550
   1   9   9   0   1   9   9   1   1   9   9   2   1   9   9   3   1   9   9  4   1   9   9   5   1   9   9   6   1   9   9   7   1   9   9   8   1   9   9   9   2   0   0   0   2   0   0   1   2   0   0   2   2   0   0   3   2   0   0  4   2   0   0   5   2   0   0   6   2   0   0   7   2   0   0   8   2   0   0   9
Number of Fatals
Underground Surface
0.002.004.006.008.0010.0012.0014.00
   1   9   9   0   1   9   9   1   1   9   9   2   1   9   9   3   1   9   9  4   1   9   9   5   1   9   9   6   1   9   9   7   1   9   9   8   1   9   9   9   2   0   0   0   2   0   0   1   2   0   0   2   2   0   0   3   2   0   0  4   2   0   0   5   2   0   0   6   2   0   0   7   2   0   0   8   2   0   0   9
Non-Fatal Days Lost Incident Rate(NFDL/200,000 MHr)
Underground Surface
 
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Since 2005:• Ventilation citations grew by 55%,• Roof Control citations by 70%,• Equipment guarding citations by 54%,• Electrical Cables/Splices by 78%, and• Travelway citations by 112%.Citations and orders at surface mines grew by 45 percent, and the Top 20accounted for approximately 2/3 of all of the citations written by inspectors.A more detailed review shows a shift in some areas. For example,underground citations written for “damaged rollers, or other damagedbelt conveyor components” (30CFR §75.1731(a)) and “proper alignmentof conveyor belts” (30CFR §75.1731(b)) were never in the Top 20 citationsissued prior to 2008. Currently they rank 13th and 9th, respectively, witha combined total of 2,800 citations per year. There are other examples ofa shift in the volume of citations and orders written by MSHA from areassuch as “underground storage, lubricating oil and grease” and “locationof firefighting equipment” which are no longer in the top 20 list after being there for the five year period prior to 2008.Have the increased number of citations and orders written by MSHAinspectors really helped to improve safety? Is the effort to focus on theminor infractions while missing the more critical issues?A comparison of the number of days lost to injuries, (NFDL) and thenumber of citations written as shown below indicates that the increase in the number of citations written have not affected the steady decline in theNFDL, and similarly, the NFDL rate.Hammering the coal mines with citations and orders has not had thedesired effect in improving safety by reducing fatalities, or in changing thedecline rate in NFDL, but instead has clogged the enforcement process, andminimized any cooperative spirit.The decline in the NFDL rate has truly been an unprecedentedachievement brought about by several factors. Consolidation in theindustry has reduced the number of coal mines from 3,400 to 1,500 in thelast 20 years. All of the top production coal companies are now publiccompanies that have established corporate governance policies resultingin a comprehensive emphasis on safety. Programs such as Consol Energy’sAbsolute Zero, Alpha Natural Resource’s Safety First, and Massey Energy’sSafety is Job One, as well as other company efforts are widely emphasizedand discussed with miners. All of the state coal associations formed by thecoal companies, have working groups that focus on health and safety in the coal industry. Major multiple fatalities call for greater emphasis on thedesign, implementation and adoption of sound safety principles that are longestablished in the mining industry. Right now what should be obvious is that“Fact Finding is more effective than Fault Finding” (Carl Beckett, Progress& Power 1935).In Conclusion:• Coal Mining is more complex than at any time in U.S. history.• The industry is safer now than at any time in U.S. history.• To prevent major accidents, training needs to be renewed in allfacets, especially in ventilation and ground support on the regulatoryside and within the coal Industry.• Zero Accidents will only occur through collaboration rather than anatmosphere of blame and accusation.• “Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough tomake them all yourself.” -- Eleanor Roosevelt.
-20,00040,00060,00080,000100,000
 
2005
 
2006
 
2007
 
2008
 
2009
 
2010e
Underground Citaons and Orders
75.400 Top 20 Other
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