New mine safety rules reduce accident chances

It's unfortunate that it took a series of major mine acci dents this decade to push the federal and state governments to update underground safety regulations.

But the wake-up call was heeded. Pennsylvania's newly created Mine Safety Board meets for the first time Tuesday, and federal regulators continue to hand down new rules following fatal accidents in West Virginia and Kentucky in 2006.

The seven-member Mine Safety Board -- three representatives each from industry and workers, and chaired by the secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection -- was the centerpiece of legislation last summer that provided the first comprehensive update since 1961 of the state's Bituminous Coal Mine Act.

It was the culmination of efforts that began after nine miners were trapped underground for four days at Quecreek in Somerset County in 2002.

The board was given regulatory authority so it can move more quickly to address new technology and industry developments.

One of the first items on its agenda will be looking to incorporate into state law the latest rules handed down by the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety Health Administration. They require mine operators to provide hardened "safe rooms" where trapped miners can await rescue, and to install flame-resistant conveyor belts.

Underground coal mining will always be a dangerous job, but those who toil deep beneath Earth's surface should do so with the best safety standards possible.

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