It is sad but I still go back to the fact that the news media has done all these families an injustice. There are facts now being quietly talked about that they did not want to report.
I know this does not mean much but most of my uncles, grandparents on both sides and a great number of relatives were or are still going into these mines. My grandfather for one was a fireman (which is not the same as a fireman in your town) and I learned a lot from him and my uncles about coal, copper and silver mines.
I have been in a mine (one copper, two coal and one salt) four times in my life and count myself as lucky not to do this work for a living and I am not an expert but I have to say it all sounds horrible that we as a nation are faced with 12 deaths from an accident that may or may not been possible to prevent, loss of any life is a loss to the nation. Looking back at my grandfather’s notes and realizing that 12 deaths were nothing when mine safety was in its infancy, I just can’t see where the blame should really be placed, if there should be someone to blame.
I some what agree with Crazynuff’s point about O2 bottles being placed where miners can get to them but I came to realize it is wishful thinking when you think of how the explosions take place and what damage an explosion can do. An O2 cylinder, even a small one can do a lot of damage if it explodes. There are too many factors involved and I can tell you that O2 is a problem not only for explosions but fires.
Sometimes these are not confined places we are dealing with, sometimes they very very large areas and the amount of co2 or methane that accumulates that the evacuation process for gases can take hours if not a few days. With O2, it adds to the danger by increasing the chances of another explosion; remember just because there is one source of methane does not mean that there could be another source created by an explosion.
Carrying O2 above what is given is not really an option also. When you go down into some of these mines it is hot (some mines reached 95 degrees) and humid and carrying heavy equipment is sometimes really a dangerous thing to do. And depending on the cut used to follow the vein (veins of copper for example may go all over the place) of what ever is being mined, you may end up with narrow slopes up and down between levels so carrying bottles of O2 would also be something you could to do safely.
Oh yea, a union would not have helped this situation at all.