MSHA warns mining industry about cold weather dangers
While many workers have to take steps to avoid frostbite and hypothermia during the winter, miners face an even greater danger: explosions.
Statistics show that coal-mine explosions occur most often during the colder months, October through March. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) says that low barometric pressure and low humidity, combined with the seasonal drying of many areas in underground coal mines, have been key factors in past mine explosions.