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Chinese Miners Come to Schuylkill County to Learn
By Amanda Leigh Brozana
Pottsville Republican & Herald
September 14, 2010
TREMONT - Schuylkill County and China may not have much in common, but one thing they share is mining.
The largest producer of coal in the world is China - a country in which 5 million people work in the mining industry - but safety precautions can be improved, an official said.
On Monday, 22 people who work for various agencies within the Chinese government and companies that directly or indirectly deal with mining visited Anthracite Underground Rescue Inc. in the borough to learn about mine safety.
"We have a lot of mining in China, but we came to America to learn about the experience in mine rescue, rescue training and the way to improve safety in our mines," said Chang Yong Di, division chief of the National Workplace Emergency Management Center in China, through the group's interpreter, Yi Ren.
David Williams and Paul Wagner discussed the type of mining done in the area and the differences between anthracite and bituminous coal mining.
Wagner also discussed safety, showing the group the rescue truck and several pieces of equipment they carry on it that are used on-site at mine disasters.
"We can operate for about 24 hours straight with two teams underground before we have to start stocking the truck," Wagner said.
The group also toured Orchard Coal Co., Hegins Township, and learned about the surface operation facilities and the mine itself, including the outlets and the hoist.
Williams said the visitors asked many questions about mine operations, including profitability and the percent of mine income put into safety measures, as well as information about rescue and safety techniques.
Williams said many seemed interested in learning how to make the profession safer.
"They especially wanted to know about the qualifications of the men that work in the mines, the training of mine rescue workers, how we train, what kind of training is done and the safety equipment used," Wagner said.
While Williams said there have been no mine disasters in the area for about three years, that is often not the case in China, where mining is one of the most dangerous industries.
In April, 153 mine workers were trapped when a tunnel in the Shanxi Province was flooded, catching worldwide attention when 115 were rescued after being trapped for more than a week.
Disasters like this are not uncommon in the country where officials reported 2,631 miners killed in 2009 as a result of mining accidents, although independent groups argue the figure may be much higher. The deadliest year on record is 2002, with 6,995 mining-related deaths.
"We want to improve, so we've come to learn because Americans are advanced in their mining safety, and we want to be as well," Di said.
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