Was Sago Safe?

A good ariticle is out about Sago. It is full of info about safety at the mine. The article is here. We are all hearing about violations but Ben Hatfield, chief executive of International Coal Group makes a good point saying

Hatfield said, however, that company officials "have heard nothing in the course of all this debate about the safety violations that even remotely connects" with any possible cause of the explosion.

Officials have said the explosion likely occurred in an area of the mine that was sealed in December.

A very good point indeed. If you read the article you will hear from union supporters like Tony Oppegard and Dennis O'Dell, as well as Ronald Grall, the last inspector to check the mines saying this:

Ronald Grall, a 40-year veteran of coal mining, worked at the Sago mine for four months before the accident as an inspector of the mine's air intake system, escape passageways and water pumps.

"They have made vast improvements in the ventilation since I've been here," Grall said. "This company, ICG, they really go safety first."

This is one of the best articles so far.

Technorati : Coal, Mining, News