National Miners’ Day and Mining Safety

On December 6, 1907, 362 miners perished in the deadliest industrial accident in American history when the No. 6 and No. 8 coal mines in Monongah, West Virginia exploded. As a result, the U.S Congress designated December 6 as National Miners’ Day to commemorate and honor the sacrifices that miners, both past and present, have made.

As we look back on this national holiday, now is the time to reflect on how far we have come in the advancements in mining safety and health with the help of soil stabilization and dust control products, like those offered by Soilworks.

The Importance of Mining

Mining is essential to our economy and has been part of our nation’s identity for years. Everyday, miners extract dozens of diverse minerals and materials that play a critical role in how we live our lives.

Thanks to the hard work of miners, we have the capability to heat our homes with electricity that is generated by coal, drive on highways that are built with gravel and cement, use technology made of gold, silver and copper metals and even use consumer products like cosmetics, toothpaste and cookware.

Miners work in hazardous conditions so that we can live comfortably and enjoy the amenities that make our lives easier. Because of their hard work and sacrifice, they deserve our respect and appreciation on December 6, and every day.

History of Mining Safety

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the number of mining injuries and fatalities was rising into the thousands and called for federal regulation. In 1910, Congress created the Bureau of Mines as a new agency in the Department of the Interior. The Bureau of Mines was responsible for investigating, researching and finding ways to reduce accidents in the coal mining industry.

In 1969, The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act, or the Coal Act, was established for more federal regulation in the mining industry. This act required two annual inspections for every surface coal mine and four for underground coal mines.

A few years after, Congress passed the Mine Act in 1977 to create more regulations in both coal and non-coal mining, as well as strengthen and protect the rights of miners. To keep up with these new standards in regulations, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) was created and still exists today. As a result, mining fatalities fell from 272 in 1977 to 86 in 2000 due to the standards that were put in place.

How our Products Help

Soilworks is known to be a trusted partner to large-scale open pit and underground mining operations around the globe to solve the difficult dust control and soil stabilization challenges that impact each mine’s safety.

Controlling dust makes the job easier and run more smoothly. Soilworks’ dust control products help to create a safer work environment, boost employee morale, lower MSHA fines and increase worker productivity.

Durasoil is a patented, ultra-pure, synthetic fluid formula that is highly effective for dust control in several industries, including mining operations. Unwanted particles and fugitive dust are secured on mine entrances, tunnel walls and underground haul roads by applying Durasoil onsite.

Soiltac is a revolutionary copolymer product that serves to control dust and erosion and stabilize soil. By combining advancements in nanotechnology and chemistry, Soiltac binds particles together to treat mine tailings and roads from days to years depending on the application rate.

Our Soiltac and Durasoil dust control and soil stabilization solutions can address the following challenges for mines:

• Aggregate Importing and Exporting
• Air Quality Compliance
• Operational Costs
• Operational Safety
• Reclamation
• Road Grading Maintenance
• Road Load Bearing Capacity
• Road Maintenance & Grading
• Road Potholes, Rutting, Raveling and Washboarding
• Rolling Resistance
• Stockpile and Tailings Loss
• Water Conservation
• Wind and Water Erosion Control

To find out more about how Soilworks can help you, visit https://soilworks.com and /mining.