Thick dust, harmful gases at West Virginia coal mine
Common-sense ventilation practices “were ignored”
An impact inspection at the Rhino Eastern LLC's Eagle Mine 3 in Wyoming County, West Virginia, found conditions that put miners at risk of developing black lung disease and that increased the potential for deadly explosions, underscoring the importance of mine safety vigilance and the need for continued improvements in controlling coal dust.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) carried out an impact inspection on June 24 that found 38 violations. Inspectors arrived at the mine at mid-morning, securing the mine's phone systems on the surface that provide communications to the underground mining section. They traveled to the underground working section, where they arrived undetected. There, they determined that the mine operator failed to follow approved ventilation, methane and dust control plans in several locations of the underground mine.