IAM Mourns West Virginia Miners Killed on the Job
May 15, 2014
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| The entrance to Brody Mine No. 1 in Wharton, WV remains closed after two workers were killed on the job Monday, May 12, 2014. |
The IAM mourns two Boone County, WV coal miners who died on the job on Monday, May 12, 2014.
Eric D. Legg, 48, and Gary P. Hensley, 46, were fatally injured when a coal or rock outburst occurred at the Brody Mine No. 1, according to the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).
Last year, MSHA issued 514 citations against Brody Mine, which is owned by a subsidiary of St. Louis-based Patriot Coal. In 2010, 29 miners were killed in a mine explosion in Naoma, WV.
“This tragedy serves as a powerful but heartbreaking warning to those who wish to dismantle workplace safety regulations and enforcement in the United States,” said IAM International President Tom Buffenbarger. “Every worker should be able to go to work knowing they will return safely to their family that night. The IAM continues its steadfast support of a workers’ right to a safe workplace.”
Only two days after the West Virginia miners were killed, an explosion at a coal mine in western Turkey killed 282 people. Some 150 miners remain missing.
