Pit & Quarry, May 2010

An Inside Look A few bad apples I originally penned OK typed a lighthearted editorial for this space but the disaster at Massey Energys Upper Big Branch coal mine in West Virginia called for a rewrite Twenty nine men died and its a reminder that mining both above and below ground is dangerous work Thousands of people die each year in mining accidents around the world and while safety has improved in the United States there is evidence that the Upper Big Branch disaster could and should have been avoided Dont be surprised if this latest accident results in tighter safety regulations for the entire mining industry including aggregates Michael Heenan Pit Quarrys law columnist says I am sure this current coal mine accident will spur calls by some for tougher legislation and something along the lines of the S MINER Act might be proposed According to Heenan This accident will have an effect on coal operations everywhere one way or another and other mines as well The Upper Big Branch operation was repeatedly cited for dangerous issues with ventilation and even on the day of the blast the Mine Safety Heath Administration cited the mine for inadequate maps of escape routes The bad apple here might be Don Blankenship CEO of Massey Energy He has been accused of trying to bribe a judge who worked on one of his cases One of the most troubling reports comes from Investing Daily It states In 2005 Blankenship wrote a memo to employees telling them that maximizing coal production was more important than spending time constructing things like support beams or ventilation shafts Only days after the accident news reports were suggesting new stricter legislation will be the result of this Headlines read Mining disaster raises questions about effectiveness of safety laws and Congressional hearings tough action anticipated after U S coal mine disaster Most mining operations including most aggregate operations Ive seen make safety the top priority But when just one company puts profits before people the results can be tragic And this could mean that many of you producers who already feel over scrutinized by MSHA will feel the heat even more As we went to press another coal mining accident at a site with repeated violations claimed the lives of two men in Kentucky Darren Constantino EDITOR IN CHIEF dconstantino@ questex com ONLY DAYS AFTER THE ACCIDENT NEWS REPORTS WERE SUGGESTING NEW STRICTER LEGISLATION WILL BE THE RESULT OF THIS www pitandquarry com 600 Superior Ave East Suite 1100 Cleveland OH 44114 216 706 3700 Fax 216 706 3710 E Mail info@ pitandquarry com EDITOR IN CHIEF Darren Constantino 216 706 3747 dconstantino@ questex com SENIOR EDITOR Brian Richesson 216 706 3748 brichesson@ questex com CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Mark S Kuhar mkuhar@ mineworksmedia com SAFETY EDITOR Carl R Metzgar cmetz46840@ aol com LAW EDITOR Michael T Heenan michael heenan@ odnss com WESTERN U S CORRESPONDENT Bill Elverman elvermanwrites@ yahoo com VICE PRESIDENT I S GROUP Kevin Stoltman 800 669 1668 ext 3740 kstoltman@ questex com PRINT ELECTRONIC ADVERTISING PUBLISHER Rob Fulop 216 706 3741 rfulop@ questex com SALES MANAGER Dino Vitanza 216 706 3744 dvitanza@ questex com CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING REGIONAL SALES MANAGER Dino Vitanza 216 706 3744 dvitanza@ questex com ART DIRECTOR Kim Traum PRODUCTION MANAGER Krystal Lund 218 279 8841 klund@ questex com DIRECTORY PRODUCTION MANAGER Angela Dumonson 218 279 8845 adumonson@ questex com PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Rhonda Sande MANAGER AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT Debbie Gullian LISTS Ilene Schwartz Kroll Direct 216 371 1667 Fax 216 371 1669 ilene@ krolldirect com REPRINTS 800 290 5460 ext 100 pitandquarry@ theygsgroup com SUBSCRIPTIONS BACK ISSUES CUSTOMER SERVICE Phone 866 344 1315 or 847 763 9594 if outside the U S Fax 847 763 9694 Web www pitandquarry com subscriptions President Chief Executive Officer Kerry C Gumas Executive Vice President Chief Financial Officer Tom Caridi Executive Vice President Tony DAvino Executive Vice President Gideon Dean For Technology Research Aggregates Foundation SAND STONE GRAVEL And Education FOUNDER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 4 PIT QUARRY May 2010 www pitandquarry com