Miners put their lives in danger every day and we are supposed to protect them, so why are we throwing in the towel when they need it the most?

People put themselves in jeopardy to help protect, serve and provide for our society. They “choose” to do so and as the saying goes, ‘Someone’s gotta do it.’ Although some of these dangers and hazards are imminent, what else can and should we be doing to further protect those people who are doing the jobs that we don’t want to do but ‘someone’s gotta do it’? Some people say, “Should we be surprised when an accident or even a death occurs on a hazardous job?” We respond with a definite yes we should. We should be surprised and appalled that accidents continue to happen. Any accidents, or even preventable deaths, deserve a second thought, perhaps even three or four.

It is well known that coal mining is a very hazardous job and it has received ample news coverage regarding and acknowledging those hazards. That coverage reached a peak in 2006 after the Sago Mine explosion in West Virginia in January that left 12 miners dead. More recently, the fate of the six miners who have been trapped in the Crandall Canyon Mine since Aug. 6 is growing dim. “It’s likely these miners may not be found,” is the statement from officials that should haunt our thoughts as we continue to watch the status of the miners day after day. As a society, we should find it disturbing that because of our needs and necessities, men have put their lives in danger and we are telling them and their families that we are going to do nothing more in terms of rescue or even recovery.

Since last Thursday’s rescue attempts resulted in the death of three rescue workers, further attempts have been suspended as the mine has been deemed too dangerous to risk further injury or death. Thursday’s events cast an even gloomier shadow over the small community in Utah. However, the rescue workers who perished were volunteers and knew the dangers of their job, some saying that they felt they had to be there. Miners follow a code, somewhat similar to that of the military, in which they decree “No miner left behind.” Officials are stripping them of following that code by not even attempting to retrieve the bodies if indeed they are deceased.

Across the world, families in China are experiencing the same feelings of lost hope and grief, as officials there have done little to comfort or keep them informed of the status of the 172 miners who remain trapped due to excessive rains and flooding. All families are outraged, in China and Utah, feeling that officials have given up on their loved ones. They could still be alive, and by not attempting to answer that question, the mining companies are abandoning all hope. USA Today contained a story regarding six men who had been trapped for 10 days in 1968 in a flooded mine in West Virginia. The men had been assumed dead, and rescuers were surprised during the ‘recovery’ to not have found corpses, but the men still alive. They didn’t give up and neither should those in Utah.

The most sickening thing about these ‘accidents’ is that some have been caused by human error. Everyone makes mistakes, but not everyone’s mistakes could cost another human being their life. The Crandall Canyon Mine shouldn’t have even been operating because of the extreme hazards and violations that inspectors had issued. On Aug. 19, the US Government ‘promised’ to review the Federal Mine Safety Rules, again. Again because they ‘reviewed’ them after the Sago Mine tragedy; however, obviously that review didn’t not accomplish or change enough. How many men need to die and forever become entombed in these mines for there to be obvious steps taken to prevent these atrocities? Should we be surprised? Yes, and we should continue talking and writing about it until something is done. No accidental or preventable death should ever be acceptable.