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Who was at fault for the Westray disaster?
The RCMP announced charges of manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death against Curragh Resources Inc., and former mine managers Gerald Phillips and Roger Parry. The more than 100 people in attendance — many families of the 26 miners killed — responded with a standing ovation.
What happened at Westray?
The disaster. On Saturday, May 9, 1992, methane gas and subsequent coal dust explosions at 5:18 a.m. ADT killed 26 miners. It was Canada’s worst mining disaster since 1958, when a bump at another Nova Scotia coal mine in Springhill claimed the lives of 75 miners.
How many people died in the Westray mine disaster?
26 workers
Three decades have passed since an explosion at a mine in Plymouth, Pictou County, killed 26 workers. Today, May 9, Nova Scotians will gather to mark the 30th anniversary of the Westray disaster.
Where was the Westray mine disaster?
Plymouth, Nova Scotia
Early in the morning beneath the small town of Plymouth, Nova Scotia, a methane gas leak into the Westray mine shaft from the Foord coal seam mixed with coal dust and caused in an explosion. The sky lit up with a blue flash and homes more than a kilometer away shook with the force of blast.
Who owned Westray Mine?
Curragh Resources
After the disaster, the Premier of Nova Scotia called a public inquiry; also, criminal charges were laid against Westray’s owner, Curragh Resources, and two mine managers. The charges were stayed after a lengthy criminal trial. The Westray Mine Public Inquiry began in 1995.
What is the Westray Bill?
The Westray bill or Bill C-45 was federal legislation that amended the Canadian Criminal Code and became law on March 31, 2004. The Bill (introduced in 2003) established new legal duties for workplace health and safety, and imposed serious penalties for violations that result in injuries or death.
When was the Westray memorial built?
Like the other men who worked at the mine, he had only been working there for nine months after it opened in September 1991.
At what percentage of methane underground would cause equipment to shut down to prevent an explosion?
1%
Large fans circulate air in mines to provide ventilation to the working areas. These fans operate to dilute the methane to well below explosive levels (5-15%). Monitors installed on mining machines deactivate the machine when the methane concentration reaches 1%.
What caused the Farmington mine disaster?
For 40 years, it has been a mystery why 78 men died in a mine explosion in Farmington, W.Va. At the time, federal officials said they didn’t know. But several months after the explosion, a federal investigator discovered one possible explanation — a safety alarm on a ventilation fan had been deliberately disabled.
How many miners died mine 9?
Seventy-eight miners
On November 20, 1968, a catastrophic explosion rocked the Consol No. 9 coal mine outside of Farmington, West Virginia. Seventy-eight miners perished in that accident.
Who owned the Westray Mine?
What caused the Farmington mine Disaster?
What does methane smell like in water?
Methane gas is colorless, tasteless, and odorless. The smell of “natural gas” is from a chemical added to make it more easily detected.
Why is methane not explosive by itself?
At concentrations below 5 percent of the air volume, it’s too dilute to explode. Above about 15 percent, Radomsky said, “It’s too rich – it’s not going to ignite.” The danger comes at methane concentrations between 5 and 15 percent, when any spark can set off a gas explosion. “You want to get it out of there,” he said.
What happened at the Westray Mine?
An underground explosion at the Westray mine in Nova Scotia killed 26 miners on May 9, 1992. Family and friends are shown in 2002 marking the 10th anniversary of the Westray mine disaster.
How many people died in the Westray disaster?
Westray remembered: explosion killed 26 N.S. coal miners in 1992 1 ‘A Predictable Path to Disaster’ 2 Miners concerned Westray was dangerous 3 Management failed, inspectors failed 4 Westray Act a legacy of disaster More
Is Westray the most dangerous mine in the world?
In fact, Westray’s very existence was controversial from the very start. In July 1991, Liberal MLA Bernie Boudreau sent a letter to Nova Scotia Labour Minister Leroy Legere warning that the new Westray coal mine scheduled to open in two months near Stellarton “is potentially one of the most dangerous in the world.”
Will there be a Westray law in Canada?
This April, on the national day of mourning for workers killed on the job, the federal ministers of labour and justice pledged action on the Westray law. They said their departments would work with the Canadian Labour Congress, employers, and provinces and territories to ensure the possibility of a Westray prosecution “is not overlooked.”