The Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) and National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) are recognizing National Miners Day today.
In 2009, Congress designated Dec. 6 as National Miners Day to honor the contributions of miners both past and present. The date represents when 362 men and boys died in a massive underground explosion at the Fairmont Coal Co.’s No. 6 and No. 8 mines in northern West Virginia.
“Miners are vital to our economy and a critical component of our nation’s identity, representing fortitude, determination and spirit,” says Joe Main, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health. “They work in often dangerous conditions so that our lives may be more comfortable. They deserve our utmost respect, gratitude and, most of all, a safe and healthy workplace. Not just on Dec. 6, but every single day.”
Each day, about 366,000 men and women go to work in the more than 13,000 underground and surface mining operations throughout the nation, MSHA reports.
Last year represented the safest in mining history, in terms of the number of deaths and fatal and injury rates. According to MSHA, 28 miners died in mining accidents, which is down from 45 in 2014. NSSGA reports that the 2016 fatality numbers are lower than the 2015 numbers so far.
“The people in this industry produce the building blocks of America, and this workforce is the aggregates industry’s most precious resource,” says Mike Johnson, president and CEO of NSSGA. “We are proud to celebrate the end of the safest year in the history of the industry.”
