About Miners’ Day
National Miners Day is celebrated on December 6th every year to honour the hardworking individuals who put their lives and health in danger to mine the earth for minerals such as coal, copper, gravel, limestone, and other minerals that are used in a wide variety of products.
The deadliest United States mining disaster took place at the Monongah Mine, which the Fairmont Coal Company owned and which was located in Monongah, West Virginia. On December 6th 1907, it was home to an explosion that killed 362 people. The No. 6 and No. 8 mines were slope openings a mile or so away from each other. They were connected. On the Friday morning of the disaster, 367 men were working in the men, things proceeding as usual until 10:28 a.m. when the explosion occurred and killed almost all the workers, damaging the ventilation system and various motors and cars in the process. Rescue crews were able to save only 1 person. In the days afterwards hundreds of bodies would be recovered from the wreckage. The cause of the explosion was contentious, with the most commonly accepted cause to be an arc from electric wires igniting the dust clouds.
Additionally, the United Congress designated this day as a national holiday in 2009 to remember the sacrifices of innocent lives.
From the Mine Safety and Health Administration, About:
“The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) helps to reduce deaths, injuries, and illnesses in the nation's mines with a variety of activities and programs. The Agency develops and enforces safety and health rules for all U.S. mines, and provides technical, educational and other types of assistance to mine operators. MSHA works cooperatively with industry, labor, and other federal and state agencies to improve safety and health conditions for all miners in the United States.”
