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Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce
What percent succumb to your worst case scenario and why them and not others. Was it because they weren't supplied or couldn't be bothered to use safety equipment?
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Black lung dropped from about 11% of miners to 3.3% in the late 1990s, but by 2009 had risen again to 9% in some areas (eastern Kentucky, southern West Virginia, western Virginia, in a geographical area now known as the 'hot spot'). After each recent disaster (Sago, Utah, Big Branch) more safety equipment and regulations have been added. MSHA is required to inspect every mine in the country, and does.
Nevertheless, the industry doesn't have a 'safety first' culture, although the supervisors at the mine I toured stressed it. Still, things could have been better. No miner is going to complain too loudly when it means losing his job. Mine owners aren't overly concerned about safety relative to production because black lung benefits are largely tax-funded at the state and federal levels. That said, the rules are crazy enough that quite a few are denied on technicalities.
It's strenuous, dangerous work. Disasters still happen not infrequently and miners die horrible deaths. Between that and black lung, it's a high price in human lives.