STATEMENT OF KEVIN G. STRICKLIN
ADMINISTRATOR FOR COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH
MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR, AND PENSIONS
UNITED STATES SENATE
October 2, 2007
http://www.msha.gov/Media/CONGRESS/2007/20071002.pdf
Thursday, October 4, 2007
MSHA Certifies Helicomm and Venture Design Services' Mobile Location Transponder
MSHA Certifies Helicomm and Venture Design Services' Mobile Location Transponder
October 4, 2007
Helicomm, Inc. and Venture Design Services Inc. (VDSI) today announced that another milestone in their joint product development for mine safety has been reached.
The Mobile Location Transponder (MLT), an integral part of MineTracer, the ZigBee-based tracking, monitoring, and emergency messaging system, was fully approved for intrinsic safety in a methane-air environment by MSHA.
MineTracer is a location, tracking and communications system now under review by owner/operators of more than 60 coal mines. The majority of these mines are located in West Virginia where safety plans have been mandated by state law. The MLT is a device for tracking miners or "tagging" anything in a mine: rover, mantrip, longwall machine, or other equipment.
"MineTracer continues to be the benchmark for self-configuring, low-power, location and tracking systems," said Ken Hill, director of sales, Helicomm. "This certification allows us to move forward with additional capability and continue our mission of improving mine safety."
MineTracer was included in the first group of approved products by the state's Office of Miners' Health Safety and Training on June 6, 2007. West Virginia required mine operators to submit initial plans for communications and tracking systems under legislative rule Title 56 Series 4 during Q2 2007.
It is expected that final plans will be submitted in October of this year to meet the requirements of the new rules.
"The key accomplishment with this approval is having proven the ruggedness and intrinsic safety against more serious impact and environmental tests. There are no restrictions for use of the device in any hazardous areas of any mine," said Eric Pirttima, business development manager, VDSI. "This technology provides a safer environment for the miners and peace of mind for their families."
About Helicomm
Headquartered in Carlsbad, Calif., with wholly owned subsidiaries in Beijing, China, and Taipei, Taiwan, Helicomm is a leading provider of voice and data wireless networks to improve tracking, management and communication of assets by providing wireless networking solutions built upon the IEEE 802.15.4 (ZigBee) and IPv6 global standards for reliable, secure, low-power, cost-effective wireless networks. Helicomm's networking SOFTWARE and development tools provide customers the quickest and easiest way to integrate wireless networking into their products and systems. For more information about Helicomm, please visit www.helicomm.com.
About VDSI and Venture Corporation
With R&D facilities in Santa Rosa, CA and Liberty Lake, WA, Venture Design Services, Inc. (VDSI) develops wireless communications products and systems focusing on remote sensor networks and data collection. VDSI?s parent company, Venture Corporation, Ltd., is a leading global electronics services company providing comprehensive manufacturing and engineering design services. Venture is a strategic partner with top Fortune 500 companies including Agilent Technologies, HP, IBM, and Intermec
October 4, 2007
Helicomm, Inc. and Venture Design Services Inc. (VDSI) today announced that another milestone in their joint product development for mine safety has been reached.
The Mobile Location Transponder (MLT), an integral part of MineTracer, the ZigBee-based tracking, monitoring, and emergency messaging system, was fully approved for intrinsic safety in a methane-air environment by MSHA.
MineTracer is a location, tracking and communications system now under review by owner/operators of more than 60 coal mines. The majority of these mines are located in West Virginia where safety plans have been mandated by state law. The MLT is a device for tracking miners or "tagging" anything in a mine: rover, mantrip, longwall machine, or other equipment.
"MineTracer continues to be the benchmark for self-configuring, low-power, location and tracking systems," said Ken Hill, director of sales, Helicomm. "This certification allows us to move forward with additional capability and continue our mission of improving mine safety."
MineTracer was included in the first group of approved products by the state's Office of Miners' Health Safety and Training on June 6, 2007. West Virginia required mine operators to submit initial plans for communications and tracking systems under legislative rule Title 56 Series 4 during Q2 2007.
It is expected that final plans will be submitted in October of this year to meet the requirements of the new rules.
"The key accomplishment with this approval is having proven the ruggedness and intrinsic safety against more serious impact and environmental tests. There are no restrictions for use of the device in any hazardous areas of any mine," said Eric Pirttima, business development manager, VDSI. "This technology provides a safer environment for the miners and peace of mind for their families."
About Helicomm
Headquartered in Carlsbad, Calif., with wholly owned subsidiaries in Beijing, China, and Taipei, Taiwan, Helicomm is a leading provider of voice and data wireless networks to improve tracking, management and communication of assets by providing wireless networking solutions built upon the IEEE 802.15.4 (ZigBee) and IPv6 global standards for reliable, secure, low-power, cost-effective wireless networks. Helicomm's networking SOFTWARE and development tools provide customers the quickest and easiest way to integrate wireless networking into their products and systems. For more information about Helicomm, please visit www.helicomm.com.
About VDSI and Venture Corporation
With R&D facilities in Santa Rosa, CA and Liberty Lake, WA, Venture Design Services, Inc. (VDSI) develops wireless communications products and systems focusing on remote sensor networks and data collection. VDSI?s parent company, Venture Corporation, Ltd., is a leading global electronics services company providing comprehensive manufacturing and engineering design services. Venture is a strategic partner with top Fortune 500 companies including Agilent Technologies, HP, IBM, and Intermec
Mine Safety In Deep Trouble
Mine Safety In Deep Trouble
The NationOpinion
October 4, 2007
Two days of Congressional hearings on Utah's recent mining tragedy made clear that when it comes to government competency, the Mining Health and Safety Administration is neck-in-neck with FEMA under Mike Brown. Whether the Department of Labor agency proves as hard to clean up is the less certain issue that Congress - and mineworkers - face. The two hearings, which were held seperately by the House and Senate Education and Labor Committees, turned into a civics lesson on "When Government Doesn't Work." MSHA's failure to communicate with families after the explosion of Crandall Canyon's mine roof has been pretty well documented. But the hearings additionally indicated that the agency lacked an effective inspection system, had no way to get needed information from other federal agencies, and still lacks a good-faith effort to evaluate its shortcomings.
As New Jersey Democratic Representative Robert Andrews noted to relatives of the six miners and three rescue workers killed, "We are sorry that government has let you down in so many ways."
The hearing's most startling moment occurred on the Senate side Tuesday when Kevin Stricklin, the MSHA public health and safety administrator, told the committee that a graduate student inspected the safety of Crandall Canyon. The grad student worked for Agapito Associates, a company that mine operators Murray Energy Corporation hired to inspect Crandall Canyon.
Stricklin testified that the written report from Agapito was submitted directly to MSHA. He did not know whether MSHA checked the graduate student's work. Stricklin additionally told committee chair Ted Kennedy that the Bureau of Land Management had discovered before the mine caved-in that Crandall Canyon was unsafe. But MSHA had no contact with the bureau until after the fact.
"This is like the CIA not talking to the FBI while we're getting attacked by terrorists," Kennedy said to Stricklin, ruefully adding that, "maybe the graduate student knew" about the Land Management's report.
Almost every witness testified that Crandall Canyon miner's lacked a voice, as there were neither represented by the United Mine Workers of America nor, apparently, provided a safety net by MSHA. Despite protests from the agency, The UMWA is now representing the families of victims and flew them in Wednesday to testify.
Along with relating their personal grief, the relatives also explicitly pointed out systemic failures before and after the tragedy."There are not enough safety inspectors and safety committees in non-union mines," said Steve Allred, brother of trapped miner Kerry Allred. Allred compared miners relying on MSHA safety inspectors to playing Russian roulette.
Utah's Republican Governor Jim Hunstman focused on the emergency response failure of MSHA. "There was a lack of defined authority and coordination." Huntsman said. "The [MSHA] experts clearly had not operated in deep mines before."
Other witnesses characterized MSHA employees as glorified yes-men to Murray CEO Jim Murray. "We thought MSHA was going to be in charge but every time we went down there [to the mine] it was Mr. Murray," said Mike Marasco, the son-in-law of miner Allred. Relatives and union representatives said Murray and MSHA have continually lied and withheld information.
Such damning accusations ultimately beg the question of what Congress can and should do. Right now, lawmakers still don't fully know what happened. Department of Labor Secretary Elaine Chao did not appoint a graduate student to head the official government investigation, but she did name two retired MSHA inspectors. And Chao has hampered a more independent investigation by not turning over subpoenaed documents to Congress and the state of Utah.
Congress also doesn't know how to address the broader issue of mine safety. After the Sago mine tragedy in West Virginia last year, Democratic legislators successfully made into law the MINER Act, which was supposed to address the very issues now being debated. Except for members of Congress from Utah, most Republicans didn't show up for either hearing, and those who did argued that more laws are unnecessary. "We're in the business of making good, enforceable policy," explained Jon Kline of Minnesota. "Sometimes in our frustration we just pass a law and say things are okay."
It will be a while until MSHA is judged "okay."
http://news.yahoo.com:80/s/thenation/20071004/cm_thenation/15240126
The NationOpinion
October 4, 2007
Two days of Congressional hearings on Utah's recent mining tragedy made clear that when it comes to government competency, the Mining Health and Safety Administration is neck-in-neck with FEMA under Mike Brown. Whether the Department of Labor agency proves as hard to clean up is the less certain issue that Congress - and mineworkers - face. The two hearings, which were held seperately by the House and Senate Education and Labor Committees, turned into a civics lesson on "When Government Doesn't Work." MSHA's failure to communicate with families after the explosion of Crandall Canyon's mine roof has been pretty well documented. But the hearings additionally indicated that the agency lacked an effective inspection system, had no way to get needed information from other federal agencies, and still lacks a good-faith effort to evaluate its shortcomings.
As New Jersey Democratic Representative Robert Andrews noted to relatives of the six miners and three rescue workers killed, "We are sorry that government has let you down in so many ways."
The hearing's most startling moment occurred on the Senate side Tuesday when Kevin Stricklin, the MSHA public health and safety administrator, told the committee that a graduate student inspected the safety of Crandall Canyon. The grad student worked for Agapito Associates, a company that mine operators Murray Energy Corporation hired to inspect Crandall Canyon.
Stricklin testified that the written report from Agapito was submitted directly to MSHA. He did not know whether MSHA checked the graduate student's work. Stricklin additionally told committee chair Ted Kennedy that the Bureau of Land Management had discovered before the mine caved-in that Crandall Canyon was unsafe. But MSHA had no contact with the bureau until after the fact.
"This is like the CIA not talking to the FBI while we're getting attacked by terrorists," Kennedy said to Stricklin, ruefully adding that, "maybe the graduate student knew" about the Land Management's report.
Almost every witness testified that Crandall Canyon miner's lacked a voice, as there were neither represented by the United Mine Workers of America nor, apparently, provided a safety net by MSHA. Despite protests from the agency, The UMWA is now representing the families of victims and flew them in Wednesday to testify.
Along with relating their personal grief, the relatives also explicitly pointed out systemic failures before and after the tragedy."There are not enough safety inspectors and safety committees in non-union mines," said Steve Allred, brother of trapped miner Kerry Allred. Allred compared miners relying on MSHA safety inspectors to playing Russian roulette.
Utah's Republican Governor Jim Hunstman focused on the emergency response failure of MSHA. "There was a lack of defined authority and coordination." Huntsman said. "The [MSHA] experts clearly had not operated in deep mines before."
Other witnesses characterized MSHA employees as glorified yes-men to Murray CEO Jim Murray. "We thought MSHA was going to be in charge but every time we went down there [to the mine] it was Mr. Murray," said Mike Marasco, the son-in-law of miner Allred. Relatives and union representatives said Murray and MSHA have continually lied and withheld information.
Such damning accusations ultimately beg the question of what Congress can and should do. Right now, lawmakers still don't fully know what happened. Department of Labor Secretary Elaine Chao did not appoint a graduate student to head the official government investigation, but she did name two retired MSHA inspectors. And Chao has hampered a more independent investigation by not turning over subpoenaed documents to Congress and the state of Utah.
Congress also doesn't know how to address the broader issue of mine safety. After the Sago mine tragedy in West Virginia last year, Democratic legislators successfully made into law the MINER Act, which was supposed to address the very issues now being debated. Except for members of Congress from Utah, most Republicans didn't show up for either hearing, and those who did argued that more laws are unnecessary. "We're in the business of making good, enforceable policy," explained Jon Kline of Minnesota. "Sometimes in our frustration we just pass a law and say things are okay."
It will be a while until MSHA is judged "okay."
http://news.yahoo.com:80/s/thenation/20071004/cm_thenation/15240126
MSHA Announces '100 Percent Plan'
MSHA Announces '100 Percent Plan'
October 4, 2007
Plan will ensure completion of all mandated regular inspections
ARLINGTON, Va.,
The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has announced a new initiative to complete 100 percent of mandated regular inspections for all coal mines in the country."Due to the large number of inspector-trainees replacing retired or departing inspectors, MSHA has faced challenges in completing regular safety and health inspections," said Richard E. Stickler, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health. "The 100 Percent Plan will ensure that MSHA has the necessary resources to fully enforce the Mine Act."Under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, only fully accredited inspectors (Authorized Representatives or ARs) have the authority to conduct inspections and issue citations. When inspector-trainees are hired, they must complete extensive training at the Mine Health and Safety Academy in Beckley, W.Va., in addition to fulfilling on-the-job training requirements, before becoming Authorized Representatives.Since July 2006, MSHA has hired more than 273 new inspector-trainees. Once these new inspectors receive their AR certifications, MSHA's coal enforcement ranks will be at their highest level since 1994. MSHA's new 100 Percent Plan calls for the temporary reassignment of MSHA inspectors to areas where they are most needed and provides for increased overtime for additional hours needed to complete inspections until all trainees are fully qualified.Editor's Note: The data that indicate inspection completion rates in coal mines from fiscal years 2000 through 2006 can be found online at http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/msha/MSHA20071537.htm.
Fiscal year 2007 data are not yet available.
October 4, 2007
Plan will ensure completion of all mandated regular inspections
ARLINGTON, Va.,
The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has announced a new initiative to complete 100 percent of mandated regular inspections for all coal mines in the country."Due to the large number of inspector-trainees replacing retired or departing inspectors, MSHA has faced challenges in completing regular safety and health inspections," said Richard E. Stickler, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health. "The 100 Percent Plan will ensure that MSHA has the necessary resources to fully enforce the Mine Act."Under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, only fully accredited inspectors (Authorized Representatives or ARs) have the authority to conduct inspections and issue citations. When inspector-trainees are hired, they must complete extensive training at the Mine Health and Safety Academy in Beckley, W.Va., in addition to fulfilling on-the-job training requirements, before becoming Authorized Representatives.Since July 2006, MSHA has hired more than 273 new inspector-trainees. Once these new inspectors receive their AR certifications, MSHA's coal enforcement ranks will be at their highest level since 1994. MSHA's new 100 Percent Plan calls for the temporary reassignment of MSHA inspectors to areas where they are most needed and provides for increased overtime for additional hours needed to complete inspections until all trainees are fully qualified.Editor's Note: The data that indicate inspection completion rates in coal mines from fiscal years 2000 through 2006 can be found online at http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/msha/MSHA20071537.htm.
Fiscal year 2007 data are not yet available.
Tragedy stunned rescuers
Tragedy stunned rescuers
The tip-top Henderson Mine team fully expected to find the five workers alive.
October 4, 2007
In 33 years, the rescue teams at the Henderson Mine, 22 miles from the tragedy at Xcel Energy's Cabin Creek power plant, have never been used in a tragedy. But they practice all the time.
Earlier this year - pitted in a contest against mine rescue teams from across the United States - they placed first in the first-aid competition.
Tragically, they couldn't use first aid Tuesday.
The Henderson rescue team found the five maintenance workers dead, something they didn't expect, said Jim Arnold, the general manager of the Henderson Mine who accompanied his two teams.
"We were pretty hopeful we were going to get in there and find those guys," Arnold said.
"I mean the air was moving in the right direction. That's all they needed. We knew they weren't going to starve to death. We didn't have a problem with the roof coming down. We didn't have a problem with them dying of thirst.
"You just feel awful bad for the families when you come out of there with something like that. You've got five dead men - the heartache that just cascades down from something like that."
Arnold said the Henderson rescue squad started at the bottom of the shaft while the fire was still burning inside. They climbed up a 2-degree slope for about 1,500 feet; then another 1,500 feet going up a slope of 10 degrees and finally they climbed 1,000 feet up a shaft with a 55-degree angle.
When they reached the area of the fire, it had burned out.
Arnold would not go into the details about where the dead workers were found.
But he said he takes pride in what the Henderson teams did.
"I am proud of the guys. The professionalism," he said. "I mean they were going into an atmosphere where five men had died. We didn't know those guys were dead. But there was no doubt in anybody's mind that they were going into a life-threatening situation."
The tip-top Henderson Mine team fully expected to find the five workers alive.
October 4, 2007
In 33 years, the rescue teams at the Henderson Mine, 22 miles from the tragedy at Xcel Energy's Cabin Creek power plant, have never been used in a tragedy. But they practice all the time.
Earlier this year - pitted in a contest against mine rescue teams from across the United States - they placed first in the first-aid competition.
Tragically, they couldn't use first aid Tuesday.
The Henderson rescue team found the five maintenance workers dead, something they didn't expect, said Jim Arnold, the general manager of the Henderson Mine who accompanied his two teams.
"We were pretty hopeful we were going to get in there and find those guys," Arnold said.
"I mean the air was moving in the right direction. That's all they needed. We knew they weren't going to starve to death. We didn't have a problem with the roof coming down. We didn't have a problem with them dying of thirst.
"You just feel awful bad for the families when you come out of there with something like that. You've got five dead men - the heartache that just cascades down from something like that."
Arnold said the Henderson rescue squad started at the bottom of the shaft while the fire was still burning inside. They climbed up a 2-degree slope for about 1,500 feet; then another 1,500 feet going up a slope of 10 degrees and finally they climbed 1,000 feet up a shaft with a 55-degree angle.
When they reached the area of the fire, it had burned out.
Arnold would not go into the details about where the dead workers were found.
But he said he takes pride in what the Henderson teams did.
"I am proud of the guys. The professionalism," he said. "I mean they were going into an atmosphere where five men had died. We didn't know those guys were dead. But there was no doubt in anybody's mind that they were going into a life-threatening situation."
Rescuers save 1,700 trapped miners
Rescuers save 1,700 trapped miners
October 4, 2007
Rescue teams working to save 3,200 miners trapped deep underground in a South African gold mine brought 1,700 to the surface on Thursday morning, mine and union officials said.
Harmony said the rescue operation was going smoothly and that a secondary lift was bringing up batches of miners stranded underground when the electricity cable of the main lift was cut in an accident.
But the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said it suspected negligence was behind the accident and vowed to push gold firms to build secondary, or emergency, exits in the mine.
Chief executive officer Graham Briggs said he was confident all the miners would be lifted to the surface in a small elevator at mine near Carletonville, south-west of Johannesburg.
"There have been no injuries or deaths ... It may take as long as 10 hours, the cage is travelling fairly slowly to avoid risks ... I'm very confident all will come out," Briggs said.
Briggs said production at the mine had been halted and would remain shut down until an investigation had been carried out and the damage repaired. Harmony is the world's fifth biggest gold producer.
But the NUM said it suspected that negligence and Harmony's practice of mining 24 hours per day caused the accident.
"We suspect negligence. Because of continuous operations there is no time to make adequate checks," NUM president Senzeni Zokwana told reporters.
Zokwana said emergency exits were needed to give workers an alternative escape route. "The manner of mining is a problem, we want to push the companies to build secondary exits, linked to the neighbouring mine," he said.
The first miners emerged at around 23.30pm GMT, after being trapped 2,2km underground for over 15 hours. Between 150 and 200 women miners were among those trapped.
"I feel happy to be on the surface. it was hot, dusty and I am quite hungry now," said 27-year-old Zandile Sindiwe, as he walked out of the elevator into a cold, windy night.
By 5.20am GMT, 1 350 mineworkers had been brought to the surface and mine officials said they hoped to have the remaining workers above ground by early afternoon.
NUM spokesperson Lesiba Seshoka told the Mail & Guardian Online at 9.30am on Thursday morning that 1,700 miners had been rescued.
"As the union we are very upset and angry at what has happened. The mine needs to be brought to book, you cannot allow an incident like this to happen where 3 000 people are trapped. The minister needs to intervene. This cannot continue and they must be held responsible.”
Another NUM spokesperson said earlier that the miners were trapped in a cramped space where temperatures could reach 30° to 40° Celsius.
The miners were caught after an air pipe broke off and hurtled down the shaft, damaging steelwork and severing an electrical cable carrying power to the main lift, Briggs said.
Air and waterRescuers were in contact with the trapped miners and clean air and water were being pumped down to them, Briggs said. "It's a very serious incident, but it's under control," he added. They were using a smaller lift close to the main elevator.
South African gold mines are the deepest in the world and unions have often criticised companies for not doing enough to ensure workers' safety.
Gold mine operations have come under scrutiny over the past few months following a series of accidents as gold producers mine ever deeper to offset lower production and reap the benefits of a sharply higher bullion price.
Gold output in South Africa, the world's biggest gold producer, has tumbled by over 50% over the past decade, as high-grade mines run out of ore and firms grapple with more difficult and high-cost underground operations.
The government briefly closed an AngloGold Ashanti mine in July after two miners were killed in a rock fall.
Harmony bought the Elandsrand mine and nearby Deelkraal operations from rival AngloGold Ashanti in 2001. At the time production was declining and Harmony saw potential in digging a new mine underneath the old one.
Harmony, which employs around 44,000 people and produced 2,4-million ounces of gold in 2006, expects to complete the new Elandsrand mine by 2011 and to mine it for a further 18 years.
October 4, 2007
Rescue teams working to save 3,200 miners trapped deep underground in a South African gold mine brought 1,700 to the surface on Thursday morning, mine and union officials said.
Harmony said the rescue operation was going smoothly and that a secondary lift was bringing up batches of miners stranded underground when the electricity cable of the main lift was cut in an accident.
But the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said it suspected negligence was behind the accident and vowed to push gold firms to build secondary, or emergency, exits in the mine.
Chief executive officer Graham Briggs said he was confident all the miners would be lifted to the surface in a small elevator at mine near Carletonville, south-west of Johannesburg.
"There have been no injuries or deaths ... It may take as long as 10 hours, the cage is travelling fairly slowly to avoid risks ... I'm very confident all will come out," Briggs said.
Briggs said production at the mine had been halted and would remain shut down until an investigation had been carried out and the damage repaired. Harmony is the world's fifth biggest gold producer.
But the NUM said it suspected that negligence and Harmony's practice of mining 24 hours per day caused the accident.
"We suspect negligence. Because of continuous operations there is no time to make adequate checks," NUM president Senzeni Zokwana told reporters.
Zokwana said emergency exits were needed to give workers an alternative escape route. "The manner of mining is a problem, we want to push the companies to build secondary exits, linked to the neighbouring mine," he said.
The first miners emerged at around 23.30pm GMT, after being trapped 2,2km underground for over 15 hours. Between 150 and 200 women miners were among those trapped.
"I feel happy to be on the surface. it was hot, dusty and I am quite hungry now," said 27-year-old Zandile Sindiwe, as he walked out of the elevator into a cold, windy night.
By 5.20am GMT, 1 350 mineworkers had been brought to the surface and mine officials said they hoped to have the remaining workers above ground by early afternoon.
NUM spokesperson Lesiba Seshoka told the Mail & Guardian Online at 9.30am on Thursday morning that 1,700 miners had been rescued.
"As the union we are very upset and angry at what has happened. The mine needs to be brought to book, you cannot allow an incident like this to happen where 3 000 people are trapped. The minister needs to intervene. This cannot continue and they must be held responsible.”
Another NUM spokesperson said earlier that the miners were trapped in a cramped space where temperatures could reach 30° to 40° Celsius.
The miners were caught after an air pipe broke off and hurtled down the shaft, damaging steelwork and severing an electrical cable carrying power to the main lift, Briggs said.
Air and waterRescuers were in contact with the trapped miners and clean air and water were being pumped down to them, Briggs said. "It's a very serious incident, but it's under control," he added. They were using a smaller lift close to the main elevator.
South African gold mines are the deepest in the world and unions have often criticised companies for not doing enough to ensure workers' safety.
Gold mine operations have come under scrutiny over the past few months following a series of accidents as gold producers mine ever deeper to offset lower production and reap the benefits of a sharply higher bullion price.
Gold output in South Africa, the world's biggest gold producer, has tumbled by over 50% over the past decade, as high-grade mines run out of ore and firms grapple with more difficult and high-cost underground operations.
The government briefly closed an AngloGold Ashanti mine in July after two miners were killed in a rock fall.
Harmony bought the Elandsrand mine and nearby Deelkraal operations from rival AngloGold Ashanti in 2001. At the time production was declining and Harmony saw potential in digging a new mine underneath the old one.
Harmony, which employs around 44,000 people and produced 2,4-million ounces of gold in 2006, expects to complete the new Elandsrand mine by 2011 and to mine it for a further 18 years.
Rescue Begins in S. Africa Gold Mine
Rescue Begins in S. Africa Gold Mine
October 3, 2007
CARLETONVILLE, South Africa (AP) - Some 3,000 gold miners were trapped deep underground Wednesday when a burst water pipe apparently damaged the elevator shaft, but the company expected to get them out safely over the next 24 hours, officials said. There were no reports of injuries at Harmony Gold Mining Compay's Elandsrand Mine outside Carletonville, located near Johannesburg.
Harmony's acting chief executive, Graham Briggs, said on MSNBC that managers were in contact with the trapped workers and had lowered food and water to them.
A union leader said the miners were hungry and thirsty and had been under ground for hours, some for nearly a day. He described them as fearful and said they were crowded together at an emergency assembly point.
Briggs said rescuers would evacuate the miners using a small cage to raise them up another shaft, but he stressed the process would be a slow one.
``It's a case of getting a large number of people up in cages,'' he told MSNBC, according to Dow Jones news service.
Briggs said the workers - the mine's entire morning shift - became trapped after damage to the elevator shaft made it unsafe to use.
``Nobody was injured, but there was extensive damage to the steel work and electrical feeder cords,'' Harmony Gold spokeswoman Amelia Soares told the South African Press Association.
Soares said some miners were making their way to shafts in an adjacent mine, owned by AngloAshanti.
Peter Bailey, national health and safety chairman for the miners union, said the miners were ``very afraid'' and were hungry and thirsty after being underground for such a long time.
``Some of these mineworkers started duty on Tuesday evening. It is now Wednesday night and they are still underground,'' he said at the scene.
A spokesman for the National Union of Mineworkers, Lesiba Seshoka, said managers were meeting with union members.
``It's a terrible situation,'' Seshoka told The Associated Press. ``The only exit is blocked, probably by a fall of ground.''
Union officials said a broken water pipe probably caused soil in the shaft to give way.
Seshoka said it wasn't clear how deep the miners were underground, but gold mine tunnels in South Africa are typically about 1 miles below the service.
The union worried that the men could run short of oxygen because of collapsed ground or be impeded by rock falls and mudslides caused the burst water pipe.
Seshoka charged that the mine's shafts were not properly maintained. ``Our guys there tell us that they have raised concerns about the whole issue of maintenance of shafts with the mine (managers) but they have not been attended to,'' he said.
Last year, 199 mineworkers died in accidents, mostly rock falls, the government Mine Health and Safety Council reported in September.
October 3, 2007
CARLETONVILLE, South Africa (AP) - Some 3,000 gold miners were trapped deep underground Wednesday when a burst water pipe apparently damaged the elevator shaft, but the company expected to get them out safely over the next 24 hours, officials said. There were no reports of injuries at Harmony Gold Mining Compay's Elandsrand Mine outside Carletonville, located near Johannesburg.
Harmony's acting chief executive, Graham Briggs, said on MSNBC that managers were in contact with the trapped workers and had lowered food and water to them.
A union leader said the miners were hungry and thirsty and had been under ground for hours, some for nearly a day. He described them as fearful and said they were crowded together at an emergency assembly point.
Briggs said rescuers would evacuate the miners using a small cage to raise them up another shaft, but he stressed the process would be a slow one.
``It's a case of getting a large number of people up in cages,'' he told MSNBC, according to Dow Jones news service.
Briggs said the workers - the mine's entire morning shift - became trapped after damage to the elevator shaft made it unsafe to use.
``Nobody was injured, but there was extensive damage to the steel work and electrical feeder cords,'' Harmony Gold spokeswoman Amelia Soares told the South African Press Association.
Soares said some miners were making their way to shafts in an adjacent mine, owned by AngloAshanti.
Peter Bailey, national health and safety chairman for the miners union, said the miners were ``very afraid'' and were hungry and thirsty after being underground for such a long time.
``Some of these mineworkers started duty on Tuesday evening. It is now Wednesday night and they are still underground,'' he said at the scene.
A spokesman for the National Union of Mineworkers, Lesiba Seshoka, said managers were meeting with union members.
``It's a terrible situation,'' Seshoka told The Associated Press. ``The only exit is blocked, probably by a fall of ground.''
Union officials said a broken water pipe probably caused soil in the shaft to give way.
Seshoka said it wasn't clear how deep the miners were underground, but gold mine tunnels in South Africa are typically about 1 miles below the service.
The union worried that the men could run short of oxygen because of collapsed ground or be impeded by rock falls and mudslides caused the burst water pipe.
Seshoka charged that the mine's shafts were not properly maintained. ``Our guys there tell us that they have raised concerns about the whole issue of maintenance of shafts with the mine (managers) but they have not been attended to,'' he said.
Last year, 199 mineworkers died in accidents, mostly rock falls, the government Mine Health and Safety Council reported in September.
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