1. Systematic roof-support plan adopted. 2. Roof-support plan enforced. 3. Black powder discontinued.. 4. New main fan installed. 5. Ventilation generally improved. 6. Auxiliary blower fans removed. 13. Installation of protective devices for 14. Second opening provided. 15. Smoking in mine discontinued. 16. Use of open lights discontinued. 1 Grand totals not given for these items because further improvements may have been made in some mines previously reported as showing improvements. APPENDIX I Coal mines found free of violations of Federal Mine Safety Code for Bituminous Coal and Lignite Mines and of the Safety Standards for Anthracite Mines at time Federal inspection was being made (fiscal year ending June 30, 1951) Record of compliance with recommendations of Federal coal-mine inspectors APPENDIX K Violations of the Federal Mine Safety Code for bituminous coal and lignite mines and of the safety standards for anthractie mines 1 These include all violations found during first inspections made during the year and all new violations found during subsequent inspections. Mr. FERGUSON. That is the end of my prepared statement, Mr. Chairman, but with the permission of the committee I would like at this time to insert into the record additional statistics which I believe will be of value to the committee and certain correspondence which I believe will point out to the committee the safety activities of the Safety Division of the Bureau of Mines. I say this because I feel it is important. I would like at this time to insert into the record statistics covering the years 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951. These statistics show the average number of men at work, the average number of days worked, in both anthracite and bituminous mines and an over-all total for both. Mr. KELLEY. Without objection. (The information referred to follows:) Mr. FERGUSON. At this time, Mr. Chairman, in view of the fact that several previous witnesses by their testimony have assumed or have tried to convince the committee that the United Mine Workers were not interested in safety and were only giving lip service to the matter on a basis of pressure or personal gain, I might say to you that the United Mine Workers of America has a safety division which covers the entire Nation in scope. We are carrying on an educational campaign continually in our membership. We are cooperating fully and completely with the Bureau of Mines in securing for our people the training in their accident prevention course, their first-aid courses, their mine rescue courses and other educational activities of the Bureau. I want to say at this time that when the Mine Workers entered this field, they entered it alone. It was the Mine Workers who first sponsored and agreed that the Mine Workers would take the accident prevention course now being given by the Bureau. At this time I would like to insert into the record, if there is no objection, a speech which I made before the Safety Congress in Chicago last year. I believe it sets forth our feeling on the cooperative action necessary by the industry and the Mine Workers to secure the ultimate in safety training. Mr. KELLEY. Without objection that will be done. (The speech referred to follows:) COMPARATIVE SAFETY TRAINING OF SAFETY COMMITTEEMEN AND MINERS By Charles Ferguson, Assistant Safety Director, International Union, United Mine Workers of America, National Safety Congress, Hotel Stevens, Chicago, Ill., October 8-12, 1951 I assure you that it is a distinct honor to be invited to present a paper to this distinguished group of men. I am always glad to participate in any meeting held in the interest of safety, and I am particularly pleased with the subject assigned to me. The international union of the United Mine Workers of America, whom I have the honor to represent, has, through its safety division, adopted the training of safety committeemen and miners in accident prevention as a component part of its safety program. Before discussing this activity and the progress made in it, I will review briefly the chain of events that culminated eventually in the desire of many safety committeemen for the training by giving them a definite niche in the safety effort. Contrary to the beliefs of some individuals and groups in the coal-mining industry, the United Mine Workers of America is and has every right to be genuinely interested in the health and safety of its membership, and subscribes wholeheartedly to any practical activity that might tend to reduce injuries. After all, what meaning is there to good wages and working conditions if a miner loses his life or health, or is prevented through injury from enjoying their benefits. The organization's attitude toward safety has been well demonstrated by the constant and intensive struggle it has wages for reasonable safety in the industry. These efforts have been carried on in the Halls of Congress and State legislatures, at the bargining table, and through our membership at the mines. Such efforts, together with the cooperation of the safety-conscious segments of the industry, have resulted in some safety improvements. I want to make it crystal clear, however, that my organization is not content with the injury rate as it now stands. Moreover, it will not be satisfied with any rate which includes injuries that could by reasonable precautions have been prevented. The organization will continue to operate with determination and through every channel available in an attempt to revise the sordid story of unnecessary deaths and injuries to its membership. Fully realizing that in the final analysis safety can be accomplished only by the vigilance and efforts of those persons actually engaged in mining, the organization has for many years contended that its members at each mine were entitled to a committee from their own ranks and of their own choice to represent them in matters pertaining to safety. As a result of joint negotiations in the year 1941, provisions for such a committee were for the first time written into our wage agreement. However, before making this concession, the operators required certain stipulations which were plainly designed to discourage the establishment of such committees and to curtail the functioning of those that might be formed. These stipulations required that committeemen serve without pay, and that their mining experience be not less than 15 years. This latter requirement was unreasonable and inconsistent because it demanded much longer experience for a safety committeeman than that required for a mine foreman by any State in the Nation. In spite of these stumbling blocks some progress was made; however, they did serve in many instances to deny such committees the services of the best qualified men. The organization continued to strive for greater participation in safety matters and for better safety cooperation on a national and local level on the part of the operators. This effort resulted in several changes in the safety provisions of the contract agreed to by the operators in 1947. These amendments changed the manner in which the committeemen were selected, removed the gratis service clause, eliminated the experience requirement, granted them authority in instances of imminent danger, and incorporated by reference the Federal Mine Safety Code. The new provisions caused the safety committeemen to feel that they were at last recognized as having a part in the safety effort, and resulted in a very notable increase in their interest and activities. This in turn, created a desire in the committeemen for a greater knowledge of the principles of mine safety in order that they might better perform their duties Such desire was revealed by requests from many committeemen for a comprehensive safety course that would include instruction in the provisions of the code. The United States Bureau of Mines, aware of this opportunity to improve conditions through safety training, formulated a course of instruction late in 1946, and organized the first class for instruction at Welch, W. Va. early in January 1947. Originally, the course was intended for safety committeemen, but it soon became obvious that many rank and file miners also would participate in the activity if given the opportunity to do so. Consequently the Bureau of Mines broadened the scope of training to include any and all men engaged in the mining of coal. The original course dealt with safety measures in bituminous mines, and shortly thereafter a similar course, adopted to the safety needs at anthracite mines, was prepared and offered. The training was sponsored by the United States Bureau of Mines and our various district organizations; also by our safety division shortly after its establishment by the international union in June 1947. Our district officers encouraged and promoted the training through circular letters of endorsement and by pointing out the value of the course to local union officers and committeemen at meetings called specifically for that purpose. Our safety division has also cooperated in this endeavor by urging all local unions to participate in the train |