Professor Ampil
Evelyn Flores
MGMT 3080
November 8, 2023
The Upper Big Branch Mine disaster was the worse mining disaster in the U.S in 40 years. This disaster
was caused by violations of safety and health. For example, one reason was the lack and improper use of
equipment maintenance, including several other reasons. It caused the deaths of 29 miners.
The Massey Energy corporation owned the Upper Big Branch mine. The corporation described
itself as successful because it ranked the sixth among U.S producers in tonnage, extracted 37 million
tons of coal a year compared to other corporations and increased its revenue by a high amount.
(Lawrence et al., 2023) People seen it as an important corporation for mining because it brought many
benefits. For example, it provided fuel for electricity, donated to scholarships, and provided emergency
support during natural disasters. (Lawrence et al., 2023) Although the people seen the good of the
corporation, critics also seen the dark side of it. They seen that the company was involved in mountain
top removal mining which is using explosives to blast away the top of mountains to expose coal dust and
it would harm the wildlife, streams, and more. (Lawrence et al., 2023) Donald L. Blakenship was the CEO
of Massey Energy Corporation, measured as successful.
Blakenship was a hardworking man who retained it from his mother. He noticed the value of
hard work by his single mother who would support the family from working 16 hours each day. He
stated, “Anyone who didn’t work as hard as she did deserve to fail.” (Lawrence et al., 2023) He took his
job seriously as a CEO for the mining industry. He found ways to fax production figures from the mining
managers to the CEO by using phones in the mines. As a good, focused CEO, he increased his total
compensation by $8 million. (Lawrence et al., 2023)
The Upper Big Branch Mine disaster happened by a spark from a shearer’s blades landing on a
small pocket of methane gas which then ignited it causing a powerful explosion. A shearer is a machine
to cut coal. Some miners wanted to make one last pass with the shearer knowing it had mechanical
difficulties and a spark lit up a small fireball. Then, it caused a big wave of fire and explosion which ran
down the mine and 3 minutes later miners were dead and injured.
Methane explosions caused more than 10,000 deaths of miners in the United States. (Lawrence
et al., 2023) Therefore, Congress established several Acts of Coal Mine and Safety. One of the few Acts
also provided compensation for miners, especially those that were affected by black lung disease. The
Acts established fines for violations, strengthened the rights of minors, and created rules to help miners
survive underground explosions. (Lawrence et al., 2023) It seemed as if the safety laws weren't taken
seriously because if there was a criminal violation of a mine safety law, it would only be considered a
misdemeanor and not a felony.
The safety laws weren’t used inside the company of Massey Energy. The miners would get
disciplined or judged if they complained about safety. For example, when miners expressed concerns
about safety, they would get told that they’re scared, to rethink their career, or to go home. (Lawrence
et al., 2023) According to the case, a former Massey miner testified, “If you got hurt, you were told not
to fill out the lost time accident paperwork. The company would just pay guys to sit in the bathhouse or
to stay at home if they got hurt.” (Lawrence et al., 2023) Also, the mine had security to alert when an
inspector was coming so the miners can make the work set-up look good and work under safety rules to
not get written up for a violation and then go back to the usual dirty work. Massey was not taking
effective safety protocols. After the explosion, investigators found that 90 percent was coal dust built up
on the surfaces and in the air throughout the mine. (Lawrence et al., 2023) Massey did not assign many
workers to rock dust the place and the equipment was not effective. After the autopsies, 71% of the
victims showed signs of black lung cancer meaning the miners were breathing a lot of coal dust around
the mine. (Lawrence et al., 2023) In addition to the coal dust in the air, Massey did not have sufficient
ventilation to provide the miners with fresh air. On the other hand, the company did not have proper
equipment maintenance. Wate nozzles on the shearer, spray water on the coal to cool the sparks and to
avoid any methane that can leak into the area. A couple of water nozzles were found missing or clogged.
Massey corporation had ineffective safety protocols.
After doing some research into the case, it cost Massey Energy corporation hundreds of millions
of dollars after their false statements. (Rudman, 2014) According to the article, “Over the last four years,
civil and criminal proceedings have sought to hold Massey and its executives accountable for the
tragedy at UBB.” So even after the case Massey was still being accountable for the disaster it caused
from violating safety laws. Blakenship declared to the investors that his main rule in Massey corporation
is to have a safety performance, yet he fired and would send home miners that would express concerns
about safety in the workplace which accuses him of being dishonest. (Rudman, 2014)
Since criminal violations of mine safety laws were not considered felonies and were minor
wrongdoings, I think corporations and/or miners thought it's not a big deal or it’s fine to violate a mine
safety law and will continue to do so. I believe there will be less safety law violations if they are
considered jail time. After reading many cases including this case, many corporations care more about
the money and increasing the company's revenue instead of also caring about safety protocols and
violating laws.
References
Lawrence, A. T., & Weber, J. (2023). Business and Society: Stakeholders, ethics, public policy. (7th
edition). McGraw Hill.
Rudman et al., (2014) $265 Million Settlement Obtained in Massey Energy. Robbins Geller Rudman &
Dowd LLP. https://www.rgrdlaw.com/news-item-Massey-Energy-Settlement060414.html#:~:text=Plaintiffs%20alleged%20that%20the%20tragic,shareholders%20who%20were%20
damaged%20by