As is to be expected of the industrial industry coal mining comes with a plethora of both safety and health hazards. Workers involved in the industrial fields of construction, oil and gas production as well as coal mining face innumerable dangers every day in the workplace. The farming of natural gas is a pivotal part of the American lifestyle and economy, but coal mining stands as one of the most dangerous professions in the industrial field. In 2007 24.8 workers per 100,000 full-time workers were killed on the job, a number that is nearly six times higher than those who work in private industry. Coal workers often times endure nonfatal injuries, and 4.4% of full-time coal workers in 2007 suffered some sort of injury on the job.
Coal mining is divided in to three categories: bituminous coal underground mining, bituminous coal and lignite surface mining and Anthracite mining. The majority of fatalities and injuries are attributed to bituminous coal underground mining, which employs half of all coal workers but disproportionately accounted for 71% of all fatalities in coal mining.
Coal workers often sustain injuries that are severe enough to stay away from work for several days. The average rate of injuries that required days away from work was 2.6% for the industry, and 3.9% for those in bituminous coal underground mining. In 2008 the following data was collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, showing the disparity in the amount of days needed to recover from an injury or illness in the private industry vs those of coal workers
Median of days away from work in 2008:
Private industry: 8 days in the year
Coal mining: 32 days of the year
Bituminous coal underground mining: 34 days
Often times the companies in charge fail to assume responsibility for the accident. They are quick to place blame on the injured and their coworkers, but further investigation often reveals a lack of safety or no implementation of lawful safety practices. Other times workers may be denied their benefits if they are irrevocably injured, and they and their families must foot the bill. The Tiano O’Dell coal mining accident lawyers encourage you to contact a personal injury attorney today if you or a loved one were injured while coal mining. A personal injury attorney specializing in coal mining and industrial accidents will be able to help secure the settlement needed to fully compensate you for your injuries, loss of income and reduction in quality of life.
