CRIM 1650 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Brian Mulroney, Coal Dust
1 Dec 2013
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1991 fall, westray hires guaranteeing 15 years & curtains on windows. The easy coal was gone by the 1950s, but westray then boasts how they are still able to get coal. A century and a half digging coal, 537 men dead. Westray workers were given 0 training other than what they learned at the job. Workers had to learn about safety from other experienced workers. Coal dust and methane blows occurred at the mines. Methane in the air is very dangerous if ignited by a spark or flame. Stone dusting is used on coal dust to prevent these types of explosions. All mines have a methane release concentration of 5%-15% Workers were told that they were going to be safe due to the enhanced technology. Workers were told that the mine would close down if a union was established, so the union did not work out. If workers didn"t cooperate, they would be replaced by 5000 other applicants.
