Case Study Analysis of The Blast in Centralia No. 5: A Mine Disaster No One Stopped
By: John Bartlow Martin
Author and Publisher “The Blast in Centralia No. 5: A Mine Disaster No One Stopped” by John Bartlow Martin. Reprinted by permission of Harold Ober Associates Incorporated. Copyright 1948 by John Bartlow Martin. Copyright renewed 1975 by John Bartlow Martin.
Overview
The title of this case study alone insinuates that perhaps this mine disaster could have been prevented. Martin opens his case study with very descriptive and gruesome details about the events that lead up to the explosion. Martin states: “One hundred and eleven men were killed in that
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All of us like miners in Centralia No. 5, rely throughout our lives on the immovable juggernaut of impersonal administrative systems” (Stillman 30). It seems that most people as a whole have absent mindedly become too dependent on something as abstract and complicated as public administration. It seems to be public administration and its official’s responsibility to handle any concern in the community as well as make everything flow smoothly.
To the Letter of the Law Driscoll O. Scanlan, a dedicated mine inspector, strove to enforce mining laws “to the letter of the law” because he deeply desired to protect miners and took his responsibility and job deeply. In a sense, Scanlan’s motivation toward the Constitution (the law), bureaucracy (as a public administrator responsible to the public), and obligation all played a key factor in his attitude and efforts that he made towards inspecting mines. The Stillman text states the following in regards to Scanlan: “Other inspectors, arriving to inspect a mine would go into the office and chat with the company officials. Not Scanlan; he waited outside, and down in the mine he talked with the miners, not the bosses” (Stillman 32). The text goes on to state many other comparisons between Scanlan and the other mine inspectors. Scanlan’s actions and efforts showed that he truly had
The second choice for the alternative design for Dynacorp would be Functional / Product matrix of strategic design. Dynacorp manufactures a range of products in the field of global information systems and communications. Since it has the major functional structures defined such as engineering, manufacturing and marketing, it can be linked to the various products Dynacorp manufactures. This allows comparatively easier transformation from the existing structure.
In 1907, two miles south of Centralia, Illinois was the Centralia Mine No. 5. The Mine was there to provide coal during World War II. This particular mine employed 250 men and produced 2,000 tons of coal each day. During the next several years there were several complaints made regarding the safety of the mine. On March 25, 1947, the mine exploded, killing 111 miners. (Stillman, 2010)
In addition to long working hours, miners paid for the supplies including open head flame lights and detonators. The miners were more or less like craftsmen using their tools and self-acquired skills to produce the maximum output. Consequently, the explosives led to numerous accidents leaving the miners injured badly and dead in many instances. Numerous workers (about 60 each year) were killed as a result of these explosions. The families of the deceased were rarely compensated. Occupational hazards, deterioration in health overtime, inadequate pay in the form of “strips” resulted in conflicts between the labor and the management.
To the family of the trapped miners I would chose to use the face-to-face approach since such a sensitive matter at hand where their family member’s lives are at risk. The considerations that you need to keep in mind when addressing the family members is that many of them are going to be frightened and scared for the safety of their family members. You will want to have all your facts and be prepared to answer many difficult questions concerning the well-being of the miners and how long it is going to take to rescue them, as well as providing them with the facts about how this happened. A good thing to do in a situation like this is to offer
1909- Sunday, october 3rd the shaft exploded, 10 men doing maintenance in the mine were killed. Roof fires were ignited from the embers of the explosion. The Cle elum fire department helped out Roslyn 's with the fires.
The report’s aim is to analyze why the West fertilizer plant explosion occurred. There will be three parts
little after 10 A.M. that morning the two mines exploded causing the ground to shake violently as far as eight miles away. The explosion shattered buildings and pavements, hurled people and horses violently to the ground, and knocked streetcars off of their rails. Willing volunteers rushed to the mines to help rescue as many miners as possible. Black coal filled the mines and the atmosphere outside. The explosion derstroyed a ventilation fan which was installed to circulate the clean air. The volunteers at to make its way through the fallen timbers, wrecked cars, mining equipment, coal dust and other rubble. As the rescue parties made there way deeper in the mine they used canvas curtains to restore ventilation. Many volunteers found the conditions
Could you imagine dying from no air?!! Bear Creek Montana suffered one of the worst mine explosions in US history.
Given the way of the occupation and the chemicals used to make the fluids to be infused to the ground, mischances are probably going to happen and blast that prompts wounds or passing of laborers and the general population around the territories. Use of overwhelming gears imperils the lives of the specialists in the mines.
The Gold King Mine is also known as the as one of the biggest disaster, that has occurred within the waters of the United States, and is located in Silverton Colorado. This mountain wasn’t even being an ideal site for mining. It was just noticed by a miner, named Olaf Nelson, and he wasn’t even sure that this would even be the ideal site. This was around 1887, and wasn’t until 1894 a mine manager known as Will Z. Kenney discovered a location that contained minerals and decided to go for it. Eventually they ran out of minerals to find, and was discontinued around the 1900’s due to underground mine workings, waste rock dumps, piles of mine tailing, and open mine pit mining operations were discontinued including the fact that it was untreated. Thus eventually the Gold King Mine turned into one of the largest source of water pollution in the United States, once something or someone would mess with it. Ultimately a
According to an NBC Nightly News report (2011) on a Monday afternoon of April 5, 2010 a massive sound of underground explosions burst through the Upper Big Branch Mine located in southern West Virginia killing twenty-nine miners. This was reported to be one of the worst disasters in the United States since 1970. Based on the information reported on the NBC Nightly News (2011), the owners of Massey Energy along with the Health and Safety Administration fail the responsibility to ensure the safety conditions of the mine workers.
On June 8, 1917, one of the most devastating disasters in Montana took place. Over 160 miners died, this disaster being the Great Butte Mining Disaster of 1917. It was truly a devastation…
Great environmental, ecological and physical damage was caused due to the magnitude involved in the release of the content of the trailings pond. However, considering the world wide demand for Copper and the mine’s willingness to rectify the error the decision was made to re-open the mine. Should this particular mine, not have been allowed to re-open another mine elsewhere would have been developed to supply the demand for Copper. Should the Mount Polley mine, not have reopened the mine would not have needed to carry the responsibility to rehabilitate the damage done to the ecological system by the said disaster. Thus the re-opening of the Mount Polley mine is justified.
Mine action is a set of efforts carried out in order to prevent the disastrous problems caused by mines and other explosive remains from the war. According to The International Mine Action Standards, mine action refers to activities which aim to reduce the social, economic and environmental impact of mines. Mine action has numerous advantages, for instance, mine action gives the citizens the opportunity to be able to live regularly without fearing that one single misstep can cost them their whole life, as well as for peacekeepers to carry out patrols easily and without any difficulties whatsoever. Mine action mainly aims in protecting the people and the citizens from danger by providing them with a safe and stable
Pike river mine was in a lot trouble and needed something to get rid of financial debts that had piled up over the years. The mine was new and the owner, Pike River Coal Ltd, had not completed the systems and infrastructure necessary to safely produce coal. It’s health and safety systems were poorly maintained and the ventilation and methane drainage systems weren’t coping with everything the company was trying to do for example, driving roadways through coal and drilling into the coal seam and extracting coal by hydro mining, a method known to produce large quantities of methane. They wanted to start a system called “hydro-mining”. Hydro-mining uses a high pressure jet of water to carve coal from the surface or the coalface, which was found to be well-suited to the coal seams of New Zealand’s West Coast. In 2008, he (Nishioka) was asked to draw up a plan for a hydro system at pike river mine and to put forward a budget and price to supply most of the requirements as well as equipment needed. When Masaoki Nishioka arrived at Pike River Mine he found he was in a situation that was much worse than he had expected.