Mining accident

Please add person who died in accidents in the Mining Industry.

This is a "sub project" of the Cause Of Death Portal

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Please see lists of some Mining Disasters here on Wikipedia - Mining Accident

• A mining accident is an accident that occurs during the process of mining minerals or metals. Thousands of miners die from mining accidents each year, especially from underground coal mining, although accidents also occur in hard rock mining. Coal mining is considered much more hazardous than hard rock mining due to flat-lying rock strata, generally incompetent rock, the presence of methane gas, and coal dust. Most of the deaths these days occur in developing countries, and rural parts of developed where safety measures are not practiced as fully
• Mining accidents can occur from a variety of causes, including leaks of poisonous gases shuch as hydrogen sulfide or explosive natural gases, especially firedamp or methane, dust explosions, collapsing of mine stopes, mining-induced seismicity, flooding, or general mechanical errors from improperly used or malfunctioning mining equipment (such as safety lamps or electrical equipment). Use of improper explosives underground can also cause methane and coal dust explosions.

Mine Cave-Ins

A cave-in is a collapse of a geologic formation, mine or structure which may occur during mining, mining, tunneling, or steep-walled excavation such t as trenching.

Abandoned mine sites are a great safety hazard.

• Many of these structures contain dilapidated frames, open shafts, and water-filled pits.
• The dangers that are found in the mines include old explosives, hazardous chemicals, bats, snakes, spiders, bobcats, mountain lions and other predators.
• Falls and cave-ins are common in these old mines.
  • Cave-ins are unpredictable. Often, areas most likely to cave-in are the hardest to detect. Minor disturbances, like the vibrations from footsteps or from speaking, can cause cave-ins. The sudden crush of falling earth produces either serious injury or instant death. Perhaps even more terrifying is being trapped behind a cave-in with little or no chance of rescue; in effect being buried alive. Death comes through starvation, thirst, or gradual suffocation.
  • While timber supports may appear to be in good condition, they might actually be very loose and ready to fall apart at the slightest touch. A mine opening might appear well timbered and solid but actually be supported by wood barely able to hold its own weight. Anyone walking in the tunnel risks the danger of accidentally touching a timber and causing the passageway to collapse.

Statistics

• On average, 50 to 60 coal miners die in this country every year while they work. It is such a dangerous job that miners wear emergency breathing devices at all times in order to help give them enough time to escape a disaster.
• Worst mining disaster in history
  • On April 26, 1942, during World War II, in the Benxihu (Honkeiko) coal mine in Liaoning Province, China, what is believed to be the worst mining disaster in history took the lives of 1,518 Chinese and 31 Japanese. The disaster began with a fire in the mine. They suffocated to death as the fire burned off oxygen and produced carbon monoxide poisoning.
• More than 2,600 Chinese coal miners died in accidents in 2009, which was an improvement over the 6,995 deaths recorded in 2002, the most dangerous year recorded by official government figures.

Here is a wonderful song for our mining ancestors Working Man - The Dubliners

Resources and additional reading:

• Wikipedia - Cave-in
• Howden - Mine Cave-Ins
• US Forest Service - Abandoned Mines
• Things to know about cave-ins and rock falls in mining. 17 Dec 2018
• ABC News – Mining: The most dangerous job? By: David Kerley & Michael Murray. 6 Apr 2010
• The National Archives - 19th Century Mining Disaster – What happened at the Trimdon Grange Mining Disaster?
• Wikipedia - Sheppton Mine disaster and rescue
• Wikipedia – Sago Mine disaster

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