Now that the euphoria over the rescue of 33 Chilean miners is subsiding a bit, it’s a good time to look at whether things ever change or stay the same after such tragedies.
NPR did a great piece yesterday on the miners highlighting the safety risks that still exist among that nation’s poorly regulated mining industry:
Mining made Chile and 170,000 work its mines. It’s tough, dirty, dangerous work. And until recently, those miners were invisible.
But are they truly visible now, and will their plight lead to real change? Sadly, I’m not optimistic.
Does anyone remember the 29 miners who died at the Massey mine in West Virgina last spring? Those men weren’t as lucky, and it turns out it meant little to the management of the mine.
A surprise government inspection late last month by the federal agency Mine Safety and Health Administration from a bunch of serious safety violations.
This from the Washington Examiner:
“This is a reflection of the problem that we have in this mining industry with some who, regardless of what you do, ignore the mine law,” MSHA director Joe Main told The Associated Press.
Clearly, the company didn’t learn from its mistakes even though the management had a great motivation to make sure things were done right.
I’m not sure why. Do they just not get it?
October 19th, 2010 at 9:15 am
I certainly remember the West Virginia miners. The miners depend on the mining jobs, and we depend on the miners to do the mining jobs. In the middle of the Blue Ridge mts. the only jobs available are the jobs in those mines. They’re stuck–it’d be nice to see these mining companies make some changes for the sake of those workers actually in the mines, not in the corporate offices.
October 19th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
I think you hit the nail on the head DiGi. The people in these communities rely on these jobs. It’s what’s available to them and they’re at the mercy of employers. They can only hope they’ll do the right thing, and put what’s right ahead of profits.