On the recordJanuary 22, 2010
I come before this Chamber to speak about good news. The Mine Safety and Health Administration confirmed that 2009 was the safest year in the history of American mining. As many of us have learned in the course of our lives, sometimes good can come from tragedy. Indeed, this is true of American mining after the 2006 disasters at the Sago, Aracoma, and Darby mines. Overall that year, 73 miners perished in American mines. Last year, that number decreased by more than half as a result of efforts made throughout the industry. Thirty-four American miners perished, a new record low. Also in 2009, nearly 85 percent of all U.S. mines recorded no lost-time injuries. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2009 incident rate of nonfatal occupational injuries for mining was 3.5. For comparison, the incident rate for all of private industry was 3.9 and manufacturing and construction were 5.0 and 4.7, respectively. Four years ago, after a decade of steady improvement in mine safety, the Nation was riveted to the unfolding mine tragedies in Appalachia that claimed the lives of more than a dozen miners. And as some of you in this Chamber will recall, those accidents prompted us and the mining industry to revisit mine safety.
