Archive for the ‘Work Place Safety’
Hearing set on Marsh Fork coal dust case
by Ken Ward Jr. MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — A Raleigh County judge will hold a hearing later this month on a medical monitoring lawsuit claiming hundreds of children were exposed to toxic coal dust from a Massey Energy Co. processing plant and silo next to Marsh Fork Elementary School. Williamson attorney Kevin Thompson is suing [...]
So Many white Crosses
by Ken Ward Jr. As I watched today’s memorial service for the miners who died in Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster, I was taken back to the public hearing on the Sago Disaster four years ago. I remembered the photos of the 12 miners, hung on the wall behind the podium at the witness [...]
More on the miners lost
by Ken Ward Jr. The Gazette has several tributes to the Upper Big Branch miners online and in print. Here’s a link, and here’s the text from one tribute that appeared in our print edition today. via Upper Big Branch Disaster: More on the miners lost « Coal Tattoo.
State Medical Examiner releases names of fallen miners
The West Virginia Medical Examiner has released a complete list of the names of the victims of last week’s disaster at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch Mine: Seven bodies have been previously identified. They are: Carl Acord, Jason Atkins, Robert Clark, Steven Harrah, William Lynch, Deward Scott and Benny Willingham. Miners identified today include: Christopher [...]
President Obama Must End 200 Years of Regulated Manslaughter in the Coalfields
As the first funerals for the worst mining disaster in 40 years took place last weekend in West Virginia, President Obama quoted a fallen coal miner’s mother: “It is just West Virginia. When something bad happens, we come together.” The President added: “‘When something bad happens, we come together.’ Through tragedy and heartache, that’s the [...]
Study finds high C8 levels among ski wax technicans
by Ken Ward Jr. Italy’s Pietro Cottrer collapses on the finish line after winning a silver medal in the men’s cross-country15-kilometre free event at Whistler Olympic Park on Monday, February 15, 2010 at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games in Whistler, British Columbia. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Andrew Vaughan) When you’re enjoying more of the [...]
Chemical Board plant access problems nothing new
by Ken Ward Jr. Investigators from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board are said to be close to reaching a deal that would allow them to do their job of looking into what caused last Sunday’s terrible explosion that killed 5 workers at the Kleen Energy Systems power plant construction site. But CSB’s investigation was stalled [...]
Fatal Conn. plant blast reportedly killed at least 50
by Ken Ward Jr. At least five workers were killed and a dozen others injured this morning when an explosion rocked the site of a power plant that was under construction in Connecticut, raising more questions about the practice of gas-line purging — and issue already under close scrutiny by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board. [...]
EPA to join investigation of DuPont Belle plant leaks
by Ken Ward Jr. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials are planning to join the growing investigation of safety concerns at DuPont Co.’s chemical plant in Belle, W.Va., following a string of leaks including one that killed a worker. Two teams of EPA inspectors plan to visit the plant next week. One will be looking into [...]
Chemical Safety Board details previous DuPont leaks
by Ken Ward Jr. When it announced plans to investigate recent DuPont Co. Belle plant problems — including a Saturday afternoon phosgene leak that killed a worker – the U.S. Chemical Safety Board noted its concern about six previous leaks at the facility since December 2006. I thought readers might want some more information about [...]
