Mining accidents under microscope after poor numbers in 2013
Mining accidents are usually tragic — although you could replace the term “mining” with any other industry that involves heavy machinery or hard labor, and the statement would remain true. This is why workers’ compensation is so important for people in the construction and mining industries. They work in an area that is inherently dangerous, where heavy materials and powerful machines are lifted, loaded and operated. If anything goes wrong, these huge objects can catastrophically or fatally injure a worker.
This isn’t to say that other workplaces have less of a need for workers’ compensation benefits. But in these dangerous fields, the benefits certainly carry more weight. For example, did you know that work-related accidents in the U.S. mining industry increased from 36 (in 2012) to 42 last year?
The fourth quarter of 2013 was apparently particularly bad, and there are calls to improve the rules and regulations that govern the mining industry. Some say they are inadequate and fail to properly protect against preventable mining accidents. As an example of this, look no further than the Revenue-Virginius Mine in Colorado, where two people died in November. That mine has an accident rate that is more than double the national average, in addition to receiving 11 citations from the Mining Safety and Health Administration in 2013.
These miners bravely put their lives on the line every day they go to work, and they deserve the benefits provided by workers’ compensation to help them if something goes wrong. Sadly, many claims are denied at the first attempt. But fear not: there are ways to appeal your denied workers’ comp application.
Source: Think Progress, “Workplace Deaths Among Miners Rose In 2013,” Bryce Covert, Jan. 7, 2014
