One Hundred Years of Federal Mining Safety and Health Research

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Figure 2. Child miner wearing cloth cap with open flame oil cap lamp, circa 1900. December 1907 saw a series of coal mine explosions that killed more than 600 miners. The first explosion, in the Naomi Mine of the United Coal Company near Belle Vernon, PA, on December 1, 1907, killed 34 miners. A coroner’s jury determined that the miners died as a result of a gas and dust explosion. The gas accumulated because of insufficient ventilation and was ignited from arcing electric wires or an open light. Five days later, on the morning of December 6, 1907, explosions occurred at the No. 6 and No. 8 mines at Monongah, WV (see Figure 3). The mines, connected to each other underground and located six miles south of the town of Fairmont, WV, were relatively modern for the time and used electrical equipment for coal cutting and haulage. Four miners emerged from the mines shortly after the explosions and an immediate rescue effort began, but the toxic gases left in the mine slowed the rescue efforts. About five hours after the explosions a surviving miner, Peter Urban, was found underground next to the body of his brother (see Figure 4). Although the rescue effort continued for several more days, no other survivors were found. Three hundred and sixty-two miners died in the mine, resulting in a makeshift outdoor morgue to accommodate the dead bodies (see Figure 5), and making the Monongah explosion the worst mine disaster in U.S. history. 3
Figure 3. Headline from the 1907 Monongah coal mine disaster. Figure 4. Peter Urban, Monongah Mine disaster survivor. 4
Page 1 and 2: Department of Health and Human Serv
Page 3 and 4: This document is in the public doma
Page 5 and 6: 4.3.7 Spokane Mining Research Labor
Page 7 and 8: Figure 26. Joy loading machine in 1
Page 9 and 10: 2p REL SCSR SMCRA SRL STOP TC U.S.
Page 11: The origins of the USBM were in the
Page 15 and 16: Figure 6. Plaque commemorating the
Page 17 and 18: Figure 8. Official seal of the Unit
Page 19 and 20: Most of this initial research was s
Page 21 and 22: Seven hundred twenty miners were gi
Page 23 and 24: Figure 16. U.S. Bureau of Mines exh
Page 25 and 26: 3. that the mine owners introduce i
Page 27 and 28: Figure 20. The USBM’s Forbes Aven
Page 29 and 30: observing the effects of temperatur
Page 31 and 32: (permissible) type, whereas by 1929
Page 33 and 34: stations in mining areas. Over the
Page 35 and 36: Dr. Coward eventually became the Di
Page 37 and 38: Figure 26. Joy loading machine in 1
Page 39 and 40: Figure 30. The results of conventio
Page 41 and 42: 4. Public Health Service Mining Stu
Page 43 and 44: Public Health Service conducted a s
Page 45 and 46: at the schools, establishing mutual
Page 47 and 48: The Bureau’s annual progress repo
Page 49 and 50: The 1969 Coal Act was the first fed
Page 51 and 52: private organizations. NIOSH was gi
Page 53 and 54: Note that at this time a great deal
Page 55 and 56: • Energy-related minerals informa
Page 57 and 58: • Administer a medical surveillan
Page 59 and 60: Over the years, the federal presenc
Page 61 and 62: for efficient processing of radium,
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Figure 36. Air currents when using
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Figure 37. Testing of the mine roof
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developed several new illumination
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which disturbs and exploits the lan
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1996 Appropriations Bill stated in
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Novel approaches undertaken by NIOS
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esearchers reanalyzed data from the
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other applications. The Libby mine
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6.2.8 Ground Control Ground falls i
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To facilitate the application of th
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on refuge alternatives [NIOSH, 2007
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6. Reduce ground failure fatalities
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7. Conclusion: Lessons Learned The
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8. References Amandus HE, Piacitell
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National Research Council and Insti
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Appendix A: Joseph A. Holmes Biogra
Page 95 and 96:
Table 1. U.S. Bureau of Mines appro
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Table 3. Metal/Nonmetal Fatalities,
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One Hundred Years of Federal Mining Safety and Health Research

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