Project Management Failures And Its Effects On The Mine

The immediate cause of the disaster is the result of a poorly maintained longwall shearer that sent a spark which could not be extinguished because of inoperative water sprayers. This spark ignited a pocket of methane gas that accumulated at the coal face over the course of a year because of poor ventilation. This resulted in an explosion that fireballed throughout the mine because of the accumulation of flammable coal dust that was not properly treated with rock dust as instructed by the MSHA. Although this was the immediate and most detrimental cause of the disaster, I believe Don Blankenship was largely responsible for the disaster. For almost twenty years, Blankenship had near-total control over Massey Coal Company, and later Massey Energy. During this time, he had decisive impact over the culture, policies, and practices of the company. He directed a management system that gave priority to productivity, which was running coal, over all other concerns, including environmental impacts, worker health and safety, and legal compliance. As a hands-on manager, he was completely and fully aware of everything that was going on in the company, all the way down to the last tank of gasoline or ton of coal. Therefore, he should bear the ultimate responsibility for the Upper Big Branch mine disaster.

The case study points out some of the deficiencies mentioned by Wilson in his article, specifically how political appointments lead to a weak administrative system and the tendency to corrupt the individual. Also due to the coal industry being so entwined with the state politics, the industry’s need for monetary gain came before the workers’ need for safety. Had there been a clear separation of politics and administration, it is feasible to believe that the incident at the mine could have been

A documentary called "From the Ashes" speaks about the employees, and communities that are supported by coal mines. In the documentary the director of Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign, Mary Anne Hitt, goes on to describe a "life and death struggle" when mine layoffs occur. This means that the employees will lose their pensions, healthcare, and basically their livelihood. It was believed that the increase of miner layoffs was due to environmental regulations, but that was proven incorrect by the US Energy and Information Administration. One of the leading causes is the increased use of natural gases, and a statistical analysis over a 6 year time period proves that when natural gas usage increases, then coal usage

Anthracite coal mining consisted of differing levels of skill and precision that could be lucrative depending upon the miner’s luck. A coal miner would be lucky to find steady employment, or to even survive to the day’s end. The procedures involved in preparing the coal from the mines to the shipping was filled with dangers that led the “industry” as “one of the world’s most hazardous.” Mine owners to maintain “overhead costs” and keep mine workers in the industry, would tactfully engage in underemployment. This left workers in state of constant need for more work, or higher wages to offset working part-time. These Anthracite miners were largely paid more than the average miner, but

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

On March 25, 1947, the mining world in the city of Centralia, Illinois was forever changed. This was the day 111 miners lost their lives, in Centralia No. 5, due to the neglect and disregard of the safety issues that were presented to those, for five (5) years, that were supposed to protect them. The blame lies at the feet of many. A few of them

Before the tragedy at Centralia Mine Disaster there were was times that official could have done more to address the red flags. The state of Illinois had different opportunities to make Centralia Company to comply with the recommendations if not they could have shut down the mine until the dust was cleaned up and an adequate sprinkling system was install but none of this was done.

| To design and build a playground and picnic area for the neighborhood. The lot is 1/2 acre of cleared land and needs to have 4-6 picnic tables and a large playground on rubber mulch with a separate area for

On March 25, 1947, a blast in Centralia Coal Mine killed 111 workers. Centralia Coal Mine No. 5 had been operational since 1907 and had never suffered a major disaster. Prior to this event only four shotfirers were killed in 1921 (Fleege). Because of the safety record of the mine, it was considered relatively safe and a disaster seemed remote. The United States had just ended a war and the economy was picking up and production needs were relatively high. Mine operators were being pushed by the federal government to produce as much coal as possible to meet the demands of the robust economy. Because of the demand, safety factors in the mines were not a top priority,

The miners had some idea of the risks of working in the Upper Big Branch mine however that is not enough for them to be held any responsibility for their own deaths. Don Blankenship had released a memo to the managers specifically stating to ignore wasting time responding to requests to fix things. Managers then would be afraid to object to Don Blankenship requests since they could get fired. During

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.

In developing a communications plan and message for the miners' families and company employees (groups directly affected by the incident), it is critical o understand the stake of each group about the event itself and its potential or eventual outcome, whether good or bad. For the miners' families, it is critical to understand that their concern is the

Pike River Mine tragedy took place on the 19th November, 2010 and resulted in deaths of 29 workers. Many factors led to this tragedy especially poor decisions made by PRCM and Department Of Labour. In this Report, many aspects of the tragedy will be discussed.

Threats included government regulation and mining safety, health standards and environmental regulations. There were many citations and violation fines charged against Massey. Low prices from foreign coal companies pose a threat. The on-going high cost of production and maintenance of equipment is a big cost. The shift of demand to other cleaner resources such as green technologies posed a growing threat as well. The worker conditions are also a threat because they were potentially dangerous and there is a high rate of accidents. This caused the treat of fines and the potential shut down of the mine.

The completion of any project depends on the execution of various parameters mostly set at the beginning of the project. In order to complete the project to satisfactory levels, the project must be completed within the stipulated timelines, fall within the approximate budget and be of the required quality standards. However, most of the projects are affected by adverse changes and unforeseen events that occur during the execution period. Research shows that the magnitude of change is dependent on the size of the project, with large projects experiencing more uncertainties due to several factors including; planning and design complexity, interest groups having deferring opinions, resource availability, Economic and political climate and statutory regulations, which may necessitate change of plan. Most of the uncertainties are known to occur in the concept phase and if not intervened, they may affect the entire project. The burden falls on the management of such risk as some managers choose to ignore the uncertainties since they call for additional costs. Other inherent risks may go unnoticed and therefore remain unsolved,