West Virginia Coal Mine Explosion Kills at Least 25
According to Oklahoma City’s koco.com, an underground explosion took the lives of at least 25 miners working in West Virginia’s Upper Big Branch mine. The explosion may have likely been caused by a buildup of methane gases. This accumulation may have resulted from improper ventilation. It is suspected that the explosion was ignited by a spark of some kind. Reportedly, the mining company who operates the coal mine, Massey Energy, has a less than stellar track record when it comes to employee safety.
Massey Energy is one of the largest coal producers in the country, owning 2.2 billion tons of coal reserves throughout West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky. However, in the past year, the coal company has been hit with federal inspector fines totaling more than $382,000 for multiple repeat infractions pertaining to improper venting techniques and venting equipment at the Upper Big Branch location. If methane gas is not allowed to properly vent, a buildup of the combustible can be ignited with the slightest spark of electricity.
The death toll in this particular accident is the highest since the 1984 Orangeville, Utah explosion that took the lives of 37 workers. Four miners are still unaccounted for, but rescue efforts to find them are being thwarted by poisonous gas that accumulated near the site.
Coal mines may not be the safest places to work, but with proper ventilation standards implemented, miners are at the very least afforded a greater chance of not being involved in a poisonous gas explosion. Negligent coal mining companies who fail to correct safety violations may be held liable for injuries, loss of life, and damages resulting from their negligence. In the above mentioned accident, Massey Energy didn’t even take the time to inform relatives of miners that their loved ones had been killed during the accident. This alone is a sad fact that could be labeled as neglectful behavior emblematic of their overall failure to provide safe working conditions for their employees.
At the Maples Law Firm, our skilled Oklahoma workman’s compensation attorneys will hold negligent companies accountable for failing to protect their employees, and will seek compensatory damages on your behalf as an accident victim. For more information and a free consultation of your case, please call us at (405) 705-5050, and we will fight to ensure that your rights as an injured employee are upheld in court of law.
Source:https://www.koco.com/