Massey Mine Workers Disabled Safety Monitor

[babsbunny]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128516777&f=1002&sc=igg2

July 15, 2010

An NPR News investigation has documented a dangerous and potentially illegal act at the Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia two months before a massive April explosion killed 29 mine workers.

On Feb. 13, an electrician deliberately disabled a methane gas monitor on a continuous mining machine because the monitor repeatedly shut down the machine.

[KittyWampus]

Murder or Manslaughter?

[NNN0LHI]

1. Jumpered out the safety equipment

:wtf:

[spinbaby]

2. I heard about it on NPR this morning

They apparently had to call out to find out how to do it--no way management didn't know.:grr:

[MajorChode]

3. Brilliant!

I can see it now.

Electrician:
"Hey this machine keeps shutting down with an excessive methane alarm and I can't figure out why."

Supervisor:
"Just bypass it. That's what we always do. Those damn sensors are faulty again."

BOOM!!!

According to the article, it's legal to bypass them, but strict protocols must be followed afterward and I have no doubt they weren't.

[blondeatlast]

4. Thanks, Ronald Reagan, for busting unions and laxing up federal safety regulations.

Since you've left this mortal plane, I'll say it--rot in hell.

[MerryBlooms]

5. The little guy always gets the blame

It will be the same with this Gulf disaster. Just watch - when this shit hits the courts, corporate will be able to shift the blame to the grunts on the rig. Disgusting corporate fucks do it every time.

[blondeatlast]

6. Sadly true, but as the poster above noted, upper management

had to know--wonder how brave the WV AG is?

[MerryBlooms]

7. Money is the backbone of the system :*(

I hold out very little hope that true justice will be served.

[truedelphi]

8. It is always the little guy who gets it.

The Bigger Players can always point to the yacht racing tickets to show as the alibi.

[MerryBlooms]

9. Man, no kidding.

recarooni.

[truedelphi]

14. If you are intereted in hearing about some Big Guy/Little Guy discussions,

Google "Max Keiser" + "On the Edge" + "May 2nd, 2010"

Really interesting series of videos. Dept of Justice has looked into some of the little people involved in the recent economic collapse.

But it is the people at the top we need them to go after.

Very intriguing how some of these players go all the wayback to Nixon and the Watergate break in.

Every time you or I pay for a gallon of gas, someone at Goldman Sachs makes a bit of it.

[ThomWV]

11. Yeah, it was all those miners trying to commit suicide that caused it.

[ThomWV]

10. NPR, home of Cookie Roberts, yep, there's a reliable source for you

[malaise]

12. I assume whoever gave the orders is going to prison

along with the electrician.

[JoeyT]

15. Not likely.

If anyone does it'll be the electrician.

Course anyone that's ever been an electrician in an industrial setting will tell you exactly how this sort of thing happens.

"Uh, one of these sensors is faulty. It keeps screwing up the machines. We need to order a new one."
"We're over budget already. Just bypass it."
"Shouldn't we replace the sensor?"
"If you want to keep your job you'll do as you're told."

They're not kidding either. And it's rough to get a new job with an insubordination termination from the last one.

[1776Forever]

13. Thank you for posting! BTW Google is putting DU on their News page search box now - Check it out...

Massey Mine Workers (Deliberately) Disabled Safety Monitor ...Massey Mine Workers (Deliberately)

Disabled Safety Monitor. ... 13, an electrician deliberately disabled a methane gas monitor on a ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4466805 - 22 minutes ago

Murder or Manslaughter? Massey Mine Electrician Disabled Safety ...‎ - Jul 15, 2010
Massey Mine Workers Disabled Safety Monitor - Democratic Underground‎ - Jul 15, 2010

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Neat!

[DailyGrind51]

16. Then they are criminals and should be indicted as such!