Wooten remarks 'outrage' miners - Safety chief called Sago 'well-operated' coal mine

[UpInArms]

http://www.wvgazette.com/webtools/print/News/2006122210

Sago disaster survivor Randal McCloy Jr. and the United Mine Workers union on Friday criticized state mine safety director Ronald Wooten for calling the Sago Mine a well-run operation.

McCloy and his wife, Anna, were “disappointed and frustrated” by Wooten’s remarks, according to their media spokeswoman, Aly Goodwin Gregg.

In a prepared statement, UMW President Cecil Roberts called the comments “an outrage” that “insults the memories of those brave men” who died in the Sago disaster.

“Twelve people are dead,” Roberts said. “The public testimony of both state and federal inspectors at the investigation was very clear: The Sago Mine had a pattern of significant safety problems, and those problems existed at the time of the explosion. For the state of West Virginia’s highest mine safety official to say otherwise in the face of these facts is inexcusable.”

...more...

[Kagemusha]

1. I guess he meant different things by "well-operated"

As in, profitable, low operating costs thanks to aggressive... cost reduction measures...

That sort of thing.

[acmejack]

2. Well operated according to the popular "Chinese Model"

There are few industrial sectors around the world immune from the fortunes of their Chinese counterparts. This is especially true of coal.

Statistics describing China's coal industry are truly staggering. Recoverable reserves in China exceed 1 trillion tonnes of coal. In 2002 it produced 1.39 billion tonnes, around one third of total world production and an enormous 26% increase on 2001. It employs over 6 million people in many thousands of mines, over 2000 of which produce more than 100,000 tonnes per year.

http://www.mccloskeycoal.com/Hybrid.asp?typecode=16&subtypecode=15

China's vibrant economic growth is built on coal, the source of two thirds of the country's electricity.

Digging out that coal cost the lives of 15 miners a day in the first nine months of this year, official accident figures show.
snip>

The Chenjiashan disaster (166 dead in explosion) paints a vivid picture of managerial impunity. It had reportedly failed a safety test days before the explosion, and had frequent fires. Relatives of the dead blame managers' pursuit of a 400,000 yuan bonus for beating output targets.
snip>

"They have very little regard for anyone's safety - there's signals out there that no matter how much coal they produce they can sell it so they're trying to jack up production as much as possible," says Jeffrey Logan, a senior energy analyst at the International Energy Agency (IEA).

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4060185.stm

[prole_for_peace]

3. what an ass!

even if he thought that why would he SAY it? maybe he needs to trapped underground for a few days...

[Stargazer99]

4. Legalized murder is what I call it ...corporations and big business

need an impartial oversite. If it was an individual you can bet responsibility would be assigned to that individual but apparently Joe Citizen is too powerless to even force the profit driven system to stop killing and maiming workers. We need a leader to help the common man get corps under control like they used to be during my parents lifetiem.

[MasonJar]

5. Can we see the numbers of his Swiss bank accounts now please?