Upper Big Branch Coal Mine Disaster Case Study
Today, former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship will turn himself into police custody to immediately start a one year sentence for his involvement in the Upper Big Branch coal mine disaster. How does a CEO of a company end up in jail for what appeared as a tragic accident?
On April 5th, 2010 in a West Virginia coal mine owned by Massey Energy Company and operated by Performance Coal Company an explosion would claim the lives of twenty-nine miners and shed light on the many workplace safety violations. Rescue attempts made to recover the bodies of the miners were placed on hold due to the high methane levels, determined to be the cause of the explosion. The Mine Safety and Health Administration investigators had to wait two months before
they could inspect the mine due to the large concentration of toxic gases in the mine. The result concluded that due to poor ventilation system to funnel out the toxic fumes overall lead to the explosion.
Could it have all been avoided? According to the families of the twenty-nine miners, the MSHA investigators and judge the answer is “yes.” In the preceding months of what would become the 2nd largest mining accident in the United States, Massey Energy Company received 600 safety citations for violations including 2 just the day before the explosion. The citations were given in violation of the Federal Mine and Safety Act of 1977. The company was response to ensure that all safety and health regulations were met in order to provide a safe workplace environment. Each safety report stated that the owners should have known about the violations. A federal investigation revealed that owners did know about the countless violations of the mines and made attempts to cover it up with duplicate documents. For conspiring to willfully violate mine safety standards Don Blankenship will pay a small price compared to the twenty-nine workers who lost their lives in the mine that day. If Massey Energy Company and its subsidiary Performance Coal Company would have complied with all MSHA regulations, corrected problems when served with a citation, just maybe the events of April 5th, 2010 would have been different.
If your company needs help improving workplace safety or clearing safety violations, contact Johnston and Associates today. Based in Franklin, Tennessee we offer safety consulting to all 50 states including Puerto Rico. Our safety systems are designed to help you meet safety standards and ready before an accident happens.
On April 5th, 2010 in a West Virginia coal mine owned by Massey Energy Company and operated by Performance Coal Company an explosion would claim the lives of twenty-nine miners and shed light on the many workplace safety violations. Rescue attempts made to recover the bodies of the miners were placed on hold due to the high methane levels, determined to be the cause of the explosion. The Mine Safety and Health Administration investigators had to wait two months before
they could inspect the mine due to the large concentration of toxic gases in the mine. The result concluded that due to poor ventilation system to funnel out the toxic fumes overall lead to the explosion.
Could it have all been avoided? According to the families of the twenty-nine miners, the MSHA investigators and judge the answer is “yes.” In the preceding months of what would become the 2nd largest mining accident in the United States, Massey Energy Company received 600 safety citations for violations including 2 just the day before the explosion. The citations were given in violation of the Federal Mine and Safety Act of 1977. The company was response to ensure that all safety and health regulations were met in order to provide a safe workplace environment. Each safety report stated that the owners should have known about the violations. A federal investigation revealed that owners did know about the countless violations of the mines and made attempts to cover it up with duplicate documents. For conspiring to willfully violate mine safety standards Don Blankenship will pay a small price compared to the twenty-nine workers who lost their lives in the mine that day. If Massey Energy Company and its subsidiary Performance Coal Company would have complied with all MSHA regulations, corrected problems when served with a citation, just maybe the events of April 5th, 2010 would have been different.
If your company needs help improving workplace safety or clearing safety violations, contact Johnston and Associates today. Based in Franklin, Tennessee we offer safety consulting to all 50 states including Puerto Rico. Our safety systems are designed to help you meet safety standards and ready before an accident happens.