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Arizona Worker Safety Mines

May 7th, 2007 Posted by Amelia

The best way to stay alive is to stay out.

That’s the message of the new “Stay Out – Stay Alive” public service campaign to get across to children, swimmers, bicyclists, rock climbers, and workers the risks involved in being on mine property.

Old, abandoned mines as well as active ones can be a problem for Arizona worker safety, particularly those employees in work not directly related to mining.

But the risk is not just to Arizona worker safety. It extends to the public as well. There have been more than 200 deaths caused by mine accidents since 1999, and many of them were children or adults involved in outdoor recreation.

Mine accidents are not only the disasters we read about in newspapers or see on cable news. Most of them are the less-publicized accidents happening to children, outdoors enthusiasts, and workers in fields not directly related to mining.

Water-filled quarries are dangerous, although they may look like harmless “swimming holes.” Often under the surface are sharp objects, old machinery abandoned after a mine shut down. Ledges and slopes around the water are unstable and slippery. The best of swimmers may find themselves up against the deadly surprises of cold, unexpectedly deep water.

Surface mines draw all terrain vehicle (ATV) drivers. The mines are usually the sites of old stockpiles and leavings that may collapse. ATVs may be caught in a disastrous, deadly rollover.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is launching the “Stay Out – Stay Alive” program to warn against accidentally going on mining property. Officials are visiting schools and scout groups to talk to children about the risks.

Richard E. Stickler, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health, said about 500,000 abandoned mines and 14,000 active operations exist around the U.S. Many, he said, contain “hidden hazards, and for those not trained to work in mines, the outcome can be deadly. That’s why we urge hikers, bikers, rock hounds and swimmers to ‘Stay Out – Stay Alive.”