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House sends landmark miner safety legislation to become law
HARRISBURG, July 1 – The state House today unanimously approved legislation that will ensure stronger mine safety standards for Pennsylvania miners through an update of the state's nearly 50-year-old Bituminous Coal Mine Act, according to House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese, D-Greene/Fayette/Washington.
"It has been more than 45 years since those who toil within the earth’s recesses have had improvements made to the law which governs their daily safety," DeWeese said. "I have been working to make sure the hard-working miners of the Commonwealth have the best mine safety law in the nation, and I am delighted to say today's House passage gets us to that goal."
The bill (S.B. 949) now goes to Gov. Ed Rendell for his signature.
A key provision DeWeese fought for on behalf of miners would permit a representative of the miners, selected by at least two miners, to accompany a state inspector on mine inspections, also known as "walk around rights." The representative must be employed by the mine being inspected.
Other provisions would:
· require detailed examination of equipment at the beginning of each shift and throughout the shift;
· require fire-related safeguards and specific ventilating practices;
· give miners a better opportunity to escape or transport injured miners when an emergency occurs through specified track distance and transport vehicle standards; and
· prohibit dual compartment shafts. The distance between emergency escape shafts could be no less than 200 feet, and the distance between openings to the surface of slopes and between drifts could be no less than 50 feet.
"Today's vote comes following months of discussions among the House and Senate, Governor Ed Rendell, the United Mine Workers of America and the Pennsylvania Coal Association," DeWeese said. "It was humbling working toward the common goal of securing safer conditions for the people who risk their lives underground so that we all may have light above it."
In addition to working to update Pennsylvania's miner safety law, DeWeese last year secured $4.3 million in state capital budget funds for the United Mine Workers of America Career Center in Ruff Creek to build an $8.6 million Miners Training School for current and future workers.
The UMWA is purchasing the old Gateway mine portal, land and buildings and using the 63-acre site to construct a simulated mine so students can learn to operate underground machinery in an atmosphere similar to a coal mine. The mission of the UMWA school is to establish a comprehensive training facility resulting in a certification of underground mining. There is no other facility in the country conducting this type of innovative training with aspects open to the general public.
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