There's another mining accident in West Virginia in the news this morning (1/20), fortunately with only two miners involved, rather than the 13 at Sago. The older members of our group can probably remember the last great coal-mining tragedy (Mannington, WV - 1968 - 78 fatalities), and some of us likely can recall when such incidents were more common, and the toll in life and limb much greater, as evidenced by the link below.
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/statistics/discoal.htm
The point being: the railroad industry has followed a similar course. While I wasn't able to find an exact quote, more than one public figure has opined that industry, like warfare, extracts a toll in death and injury.
But as societies have advanced, the value of a single, productive human life has similarly advanced. The point is not whether increased regulations and fines will improve safety; the rising cost of employers' liability will see to that, regardless. It might also be noted that likely the greatest single contribution to the continuing decrease in both the incidence and severity of industrial accidents post-1945 was John L. Lewis' assent to mechanizing the mines, thereby reducing the overall work force.
Again, railroading follows a similar pattern. The number of accidents has declined, and smaller crews have caused a reduction in fatalities (though the absence of a caboose probably increases the totality of the wreck for crew members). But one need only peruse an archived copy of Railway Age from a century ago to see how far we've come.
Industrial accidents today follow a much different pattern. Reportedly, the greatest concentration is no longer in coal mining, but along the "petrochemical coast" of the Gulf States. Since fatailites seldom go above the single digits, the pubic's attention simply doesn't stay there for very long. But, as with railroading, the human toll is there.
One final thought:
While senior mine officials accepted blame for the erroneous first report that led relatives to believe that most of the men at Sago had survived, one has to wonder whether the combination of youthful wishful thinking inspired by the mass media and a recent successful rescue in Pennsylvania, plus ready access to cellular telephones, might not have caused a more junior figure in the mine's operating hirearchy to have instigated the misinformation. Uncovering this action would only lead to further recrimination and grief for all involved.
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/statistics/discoal.htm
The point being: the railroad industry has followed a similar course. While I wasn't able to find an exact quote, more than one public figure has opined that industry, like warfare, extracts a toll in death and injury.
But as societies have advanced, the value of a single, productive human life has similarly advanced. The point is not whether increased regulations and fines will improve safety; the rising cost of employers' liability will see to that, regardless. It might also be noted that likely the greatest single contribution to the continuing decrease in both the incidence and severity of industrial accidents post-1945 was John L. Lewis' assent to mechanizing the mines, thereby reducing the overall work force.
Again, railroading follows a similar pattern. The number of accidents has declined, and smaller crews have caused a reduction in fatalities (though the absence of a caboose probably increases the totality of the wreck for crew members). But one need only peruse an archived copy of Railway Age from a century ago to see how far we've come.
Industrial accidents today follow a much different pattern. Reportedly, the greatest concentration is no longer in coal mining, but along the "petrochemical coast" of the Gulf States. Since fatailites seldom go above the single digits, the pubic's attention simply doesn't stay there for very long. But, as with railroading, the human toll is there.
One final thought:
While senior mine officials accepted blame for the erroneous first report that led relatives to believe that most of the men at Sago had survived, one has to wonder whether the combination of youthful wishful thinking inspired by the mass media and a recent successful rescue in Pennsylvania, plus ready access to cellular telephones, might not have caused a more junior figure in the mine's operating hirearchy to have instigated the misinformation. Uncovering this action would only lead to further recrimination and grief for all involved.
