April 5, 2015 will mark the fifth anniversary of the Upper Big Branch mine disaster. Since then, some things have change in coal mine safety, especially by MSHA. But more than 200 US miners have died on-the-job since UBB.
The trial of former coal company CEO Don Blankenship—the man largely responsible for the Upper Big Branch disaster—is scheduled to begin on April 20. I’m ready to let the Charleston Gazette’s Ken Ward Jr. provide the best play-by-play.
The top worker victories of 2014; work-related deaths in coal mining industry projected to reach new low; police officer deaths reach new high; and a major Southern grocery store chain offers benefits to legally married same-sex couples.
Former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship was indicated by federal prosecutors for events that led to the April 2010 death of 29 West Virginia coal miners.
Investigator Jim Beck got to the bottom of what happened at the Upper Big Branch coal mine disaster. He died last week from cancer.
This months marks the fourth anniversary of deadly workplace disasters in West Virginia and the Gulf of Mexico; after coming under pressure from activists, Walmart has changed its policy regarding accommodations for pregnant workers; and two California nurses were stabbed in separate incidents on the same day.
Injury Control & Violence
Boycott! Don Blankenship’s propaganda film about Upper Big Branch disaster
Don Blankenship is marking the 4th anniversary of the Upper Big Branch mine disaster with a propaganda film. Boycott it!
Will President Obama’s new regulatory czar make good on his promise to conduct reviews of agency rules in a timely manner? The 90-day deadline will expire this week for the office’s review of the Labor Department’s final rule to protect coal miners from black lung disease.
While OSHA has never been the most robustly funded federal agency, its efforts and regulatory authority have helped prevent countless deaths, injuries and illnesses on the job. However, recent budget cuts and future budget cut proposals threaten those gains, and it’s no stretch to say that worker health and safety hang in the balance.
A fourth official formerly associated with Massey Energy was sentenced to 3 ½ years in prison for conspiring to thwart federal mine safety laws. Massey Energy was the operator in 2010 of the site where the worst coal mine disaster in 40 years occurred.