Upper big branch never again searching for the truth. Final report mine safety and health administration msha. Apr, 2010 mine safety investigators are still searching for an exact cause. It was operated by massey engineering until there was an explosion on april 4, 2010. March 22, 2011 a former upper big branch miner, thomas harrah, is charged with lying about having a foremans license while performing safety checks at the mine between january 2008 and. We did not receive the miracle we were praying for, said gov. Delivered benefits to the nation as a whole and to appalachian region. Report on upper big branch mine explosion may 19, 2011 10. This is a textonly version of the document upper big branch minesouth, report of investigation, fatal underground mine explosion, mining safety and health administration. Upper big branch never again searching for the truth to. Coal miners spoke to the world socialist web site on friday about safety violations at the upper big branch mine in west virginia. The upper big branch mine explosion encompass eastern. The upper big branch mine in montcoal, west virginia, where 29 people died in an explosion, will be sealed this summer.
Msha said a month of exploration by mine rescue teams to confirm the mine is safe for investigators is completed. Oct 15, 20 a case study on the upper big branch mine disaster ieee has arranged for the ethics program below to be given to section members, society members, osu student branch, osu graduate student branch and devry university student branch members at devry university 50 alum creek drive, columbus, oh 43209. The upper big branch mine disaster the death of 39 miners in the upper big branch mine became one of the worst mining accidents in the u. April 5, 2010 29 miners are killed in an explosion at the upper big branch mine in naoma, west virginia. The upper big branch mine disaster occurred on april 5, 2010 roughly 1,000 feet 300 m underground in raleigh county, west virginia at massey energys upper big branch coal mine located in montcoaltwentynine out of thirtyone miners at the site were killed. Twentynine miners died and one was seriously injured as the enormously. Massey did have a few important ethical strategies for the company such as providing fuel for about half of the electricity generated in the us, which lessened the.
Eventually, we learned from an independent report pdf. Yes, the employees knew what the safety problems were, but had to. The rule requires mine operators to identify and correct hazardous conditions and violations of nine health and safety standards that pose the greatest risk to miners, including the kinds of conditions that led to the deadly explosion at the upper big branch mine in april 2010. Upper big branch mine disaster, which has yet to be examined in the field of criminology as an instance of corporate crime. Due to the extensive nature of this report, we have chosen to break it. This page was last edited on 15 january 2020, at 15. An independent team investigating 2010 coal mine explosion in west virginia put the blame squarely on massey energy. United states department of labor mine safety and health. Upper big branch minesouth performance coal company montcoal, raleigh county, west virginia. Due to the extensive nature of this report, we have chosen to break it down into pieces. Upper big branch minesouth, performance coal company. An example of cost to the stakeholders by massey actions is first of all, putting their life at risk.
May was the mines superintendent at the time of the explosion. Upper big branch 05042010 upper big branch explosion methane explosion, coal dust explosion on april 5, 2010, at approximately 3. United states department of labor mine safety and health administration coal mine safety and health report of investigation fatal underground mine explosion april 5, 2010 upper big branch mine south, performance coal company montcoal, raleigh county, west virginia, id no. United mine workers issues findings on upper big branch mine. This was evident in the 2010 explosion at the upper big branch mine in montcoal, west virginia.
Upper big branch mine explosion investigation panel report. Up until now, responsibility for the deaths has fallen largely on the thenowners of the. The upper big branch mine disaster case study template. We are providing you with the report without the appendices included, the report with the appendices included. A case study on the upper big branch mine disaster ieee has arranged for the ethics program below to be given to section members, society members, osu student branch, osu graduate student branch and devry university student branch members at devry university 50 alum creek drive, columbus, oh 43209. April 29, 2011 massey energy agrees to permanently seal the upper big branch mine. On april 5, 2010, an explosion rocked the tunnels 1,000 feet underground at the upper big branch coal mine in montcoal, west virginia. The film seeks to start a public discussion about the need for cooperation among the mining industry, government and mining experts to improve mining safety. Upper big branch mine disaster by shyam nair 9262016 1shyam nair 2. Upper big branch mine had most serious citations among. A case study on the upper big branch mine disaster.
Mar 23, 2012 on april 5, 2010, a massive explosion at the upper big branch coal mine in west virginia killed 29 men. Nuclear regulatory commission nrc staff as it interacts with its stakeholders. Opening statements in trial of former massey energy ceo by clement daly 16 october 2015 after four days of jury selection, opening statements and testimony began. Fbi former upper big branch mine superintendent sentenced.
Sourcewatch is a project of the center for media and democracy cmd. In september 2010, five months after the ubb explosion, msha. Source document contributed to documentcloud by ken ward ken ward freelancer. The 29 miners who died in the upper big branch mine on april 5, 2010, did not go to work that day with the expectation that it was the last day of their lives. Davitt mcateer and associates, upper big branchthe april 5. Upper big branch coal mine disaster case study youtube.
The mine was operated by performance coal company, a massey energy subsidiary. Apr 09, 2010 coal miners spoke to the world socialist web site on friday about safety violations at the upper big branch mine in west virginia. A failure of basic coal mine safety practices, report to the. The media is more interested in reporting cases of serious or violent crime. Jun 03, 2011 on april 5, 2010, an explosion took place at massey energy co. Purpose this case study provides a useful tool for the u. They show the company was fighting many of the steepest fines, or simply refusing. Massey energy corporation had a long history of safety and environmental violations.
They also cheated by letting the companies managers know that inspectors were on the way to inspect, which is a. We are providing you with the report without the appendices included, the report with the. Content is available under creative commons attributionnoncommercialsharealike. How would you describe massey energys strategy leading up to the upper big branch mine disaster in april 2010. Massey energy a coal extractor in the united states with substantial operations in west virginia, kentucky and virginia owner and operator of the upper big branch ubb mine masseys good contributions 1. Federal regulators could have prevented upper big branch, w. Who will pay for the upper big branch mine disaster.
Upper big branch miners memorial whitesville, west. Mcateer giip report on upper big branch mine disaster. The accident was the worst in the united states since 1970. The upper big branch corporate social responsibility. No survivors found after west virginia mine disaster the. Joe manchin iii, looking somber, his voice barely audible. Upper big branch was the site of a fatal explosion on april 5, 2010, that killed 29 miners.
The upper big branch miners memorial is dedicated to twentynine miners who lost their lives in an explosion at the upper big branch coal mine on april 5th, 2010, to the first responders and mine rescuers that put themselves in harms way to come to the aid of their fellow man and to all individuals who have suffered injury, illness or death as a result of working in the coal industry. Dec 12, 20 the rockdusting standard in place when the upper big branch mine exploded on april 5, 2010, was the same standard that was established in 1927, unchanged through the years despite the increased use of machinery in the mines, which has resulted in a finer, more explosive coal dust. Is there anything that massey energy has done or is now doing in the aftermath of that disaster that could legitimately be considered as unethical by its stakeholders. Report on the upper big branch mine disaster united states mine. We believe that the upper big branch disaster was caused by the company itself by not following the proper safety procedures. The news at the upper big branch mine about 30 miles south of charleston brought the death toll to 29 in the countrys worst mine disaster in four decades. Workers were often intimidated by management not to report incidents and the culture within the organization was. This preliminary report sets out the findings of our investigation and. Federal regulators could have prevented upper big branch.
The upper big branch mine disaster occurred on april 5, 2010 roughly 1,000 feet 300 m underground in raleigh county, west virginia at massey energys upper big branch coal mine located in montcoal. The cause of the upper big branch coal mine accident in west virginia this week hasnt been identified, but a narrative has already emerged of a rogue company oblivious to worker safety. The upper big branch mine is located in montcoal, west virginia. The accident was the worst in the united states since 1970, when 38 miners were killed at. The publishing of the final upper big branch report this past tuesday coincided with the announcement by u. On april 5, 2010, a massive explosion at the upper big branch coal mine in west virginia killed 29 men. Opinion the truth about upper big branch mine the new. Upper big branch mine disaster investigative report summary. Jul, 20 april 5, 2010 29 miners are killed in an explosion at the upper big branch mine in naoma, west virginia.
Apr 05, 2012 the upper big branch mine in montcoal, west virginia, where 29 people died in an explosion, will be sealed this summer. On april 5, 2010, an explosion took place at massey energy co. Mine accident investigation team leader, norman page, conducted a laboratory. Mine safety investigators are still searching for an exact cause. It was the worst us coalmining disaster in nearly 40 years. They should face up to the 126page reports finding that the upper big branch. To the workers at the upper big branch mine and the families of the victims of the explosion. United mine workers issues findings on upper big branch.
Chapter four will focus on theoretical explanations of. Apr 10, 2010 the news at the upper big branch mine about 30 miles south of charleston brought the death toll to 29 in the countrys worst mine disaster in four decades. The massey energy corporation was very successful as a business but their strategic practices were not exactly ethical leading up to the upper big branch mine disaster in april 2010. Employees risk their lives every day by making the decision to go into the mines without being provided safe environment. They said that the mines operator routinely disregard safety. In february 2012, united states attorney booth goodwin filed a onecount information against may, charging him with conspiracy to defraud the united states by impeding msha in carrying out.
May 06, 2015 the upper big branch mine is located in montcoal, west virginia. Four days dragged on, while we hoped for a miracle. The only west virginia mine owned by massey energy with a recent problem with msha violations that even compares to the upper big branch mine is the ruby energy mine in mingo, west virginia. They said that the mine s operator routinely disregard safety. Source document contributed to documentcloud by pbs newshour newshour. Nov 05, 2011 the united mine workers of america umwa has branded last years disaster at the upper big branch mine ubb industrial homicide in a 154page report released october 25. Timeline of upper big branch mine disaster events special. Former chief at upper big branch mine sentenced posted on march 1, 2012 by emily holbrook the former security chief at the west virginia mine where 29 workers were killed in april 2010 was sentenced to three years in prison on charges that he lied to federal agents during the investigation. Miners speak on safety violations at upper big branch mine. Conclusions 1 the explosion at the upper big branch mine on monday, april 5, 2010, occurred at approximately 3. May 20, 2011 report on the upper big branch mine explosion.
Ubb is operated by performance coal company pcc, a former subsidiary of massey energy company massey together pccmassey, and is located in montcoal, west virginia. The united mine workers of america umwa has branded last years disaster at the upper big branch mine ubb industrial homicide in a 154page report released october 25. Upper big branch mine south massey energy company mine id. They cheated mash by providing false records of accidents. Upper big branch mine disaster case study josephnicdao. Underground investigation of upper big branch mine begins. The data combined in the full report will serve as a resource for future research. In the aftermath, the scale of the tragedy came into focus. The story behind the upper big branch mine disaster the. Upper big branch miners memorial whitesville, west virginia. Twentynine out of thirtyone miners at the site were killed. The federal records catalog the problems at the upper big branch mine, operated by the performance coal company.
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