33 Chilean Miners Defy Death Tolls Typical of U.S. Mining Accidents

In Chile, 33 miners are remarkably alive, despite being trapped 2,000 feet underground for over two weeks. Ventilation shafts have survived the collapse, and the miners are in no danger from the toxic methane gases associated with mining cave-ins. Government officials predict many months before a rescue tunnel can be dug wide enough to lift the miners out.

In the meantime, rescuers are using a narrow shaft to facilitate communication with the victims, as well as to lower food, medicine, and hydration cells. Recently, video captured by a probe sent down the shaft has returned with images of the miners doing well.

While the Chilean miners may be stuck for months in conditions which were described by former head of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) Davitt McAteer to be "not unlike a prison," the miners are very fortunate to be alive and relatively healthy. American miners, however, have not been as lucky in their mining activities. Earlier this year, a coal mine at Montcoal, West Virginia, fell victim to a mining explosion deemed by President Obama to be "America's worst mining disaster in forty years." Twenty-nine miners were eventually found dead.

Four of the miners were initially dubbed missing due to the high levels of methane gas which impeded the search and rescue efforts. The mine was fitted with rescue chambers by the company, Strata Safety, that would provide clean air, food, water, and sanitation. There was hope that the miners had made it to these rescue chambers. Sadly, the remaining miners' bodies were found four days after the blast.

The 2010 West Virginia accident prompted Obama to further review the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act, which was already set in place to improve mining safety after the 2006 disasters in the Sago and Aracoma mines. The act included provisions for more emergency oxygen and ways for two-way communication during a mining disaster. The MINER Act has helped MSHA improve its inspection force, as well as the current safety technology, but the Act isn't as thorough in forcing irresponsible companies to comply to mining standards.

Had the Chilean miners not been lucky enough to avoid methane gas, or not have working ventilation shafts, their immediate survival may not have been as certain. The story has avoided the death toll and grim recovery efforts normally associated with these types of accidents, but the global spotlight is going to be on Chile and its mines for months in anticipation of the miner's rescue.

The government has a few options to deal with this limited publicity. It may investigate the mine's safety record, or close the mine down once the incident is resolved. The more likely scenario would be to level ineffectual fines and leave it up to the companies to improve their safety measures, much like the U.S. government and the mines in West Virginia. This action, however, would leave the miners more vulnerable to future accidents.