Limited Experience in Fatal Coal Mining Accidents

Limited experience in fatal coal mining accidents

South Carolina workers might be interested to learn that the total number of coal mining fatalities in 2016 was at an all-time low of eight. As of June 8, 2017, seven coal miners have died in 2017, and almost all of them had under a year of experience at the mine and at the job they were doing. Six of the workers had been at the mine for less than a year. Five of them had been at the particular job they were doing at the time of their death for under a year.

The deaths occurred in West Virginia, Kentucky and Montana. According to the deputy administrator for Coal Mine Safety and Health, there is a plan to talk to miners about whether they are getting sufficient training. He said that people are moving around more and doing different jobs because of the market.

One of the deaths happened at a surface mine processing facility. Half of the remaining fatalities happened at surface mines, and the others occurred at underground mines. In one nine-month period, 931 miners with less than a year of experience at a particular mine were injured and 418 miners with two years experience were injured. For miners with a decade or more of experience , there were only 83 injuries.

In most cases, a person who is injured while at work is eligible for workers’ compensation. However, if another party is at fault in the injury, such as an employer for failing to provide sufficient training, the case might be more complex. Injured employees may want to talk to an attorney to make sure their rights are protected and they are able to get sufficient compensation.