A moment of silence honoring the nine miners who died last August in the Emery County coal mine will launch the third annual International Mining Health & Safety Symposium, at the Sheraton hotel in Salt Lake City.
Issues that became apparent after six miners were trapped by the Aug. 6 implosion of the mine's walls - and three others were killed 10 days later trying to rescue them - will be the subject of multiple panel discussions.
And symposium organizer Davitt McAteer, a former head of the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration, has been hopeful that MSHA's formal investigative report on the disaster might be released at the two-day conference.
MSHA spokesman Matthew Faraci could not commit to that, saying last week only that "the accident investigation team is preparing its final report and the public can expect something in the near future." There are other indications the report will come out Thursday.
McAteer, who became vice president for sponsored programs at Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia after eight years as MSHA boss during the Clinton administration, organized the initial symposium two years ago after accidents in January 2006 at the Sago and Aracoma mines killed 14 West Virginia miners.
Its goal was to explore ways in which technology and cutting-edge equipment could be employed more effectively to ensure coal miner safety.
"The purpose is to keep pace with technology advancements in safety," said McAteer, a longtime advocate for miners whose ties to Utah's coal-mining industry go back to the 1984 Wilberg mine fire in which 27 died. "This commitment arose from horrible tragedies with human cost. Our only goal here is to make mining safer. This is a unique forum where the mining companies, union representatives and industry can come together to share ideas."
Crandall Canyon, which brought to the forefront issues involving "bumps" and other pressure-relieving ground movements when mining at significant depths, prompted McAteer and Wheeling Jesuit University's National Technology Transfer Center to move the third symposium to Utah.
The meeting here was set up with assistance from the Utah Labor Commission and the Utah Mining Association. A preliminary list of attendees includes four representatives of UtahAmerican Energy Inc., the Murray Energy Corp. subsidiary that co-owned and operated Crandall Canyon and has three other Utah mines.
Current MSHA administrator Richard Stickler also is on the agenda, scheduled to be Monday's luncheon speaker. His No. 2 man over coal mine safety, Kevin Stricklin, will address MSHA enforcement issues on Tuesday.
The symposium will offer a formal introduction forum for Garth Nielson, appointed earlier this month as the director of the newly created state Office of Coal Mine Safety. The Legislature established the office at the recommendation of the Utah Mine Safety Commission, which Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. appointed after Crandall Canyon to determine what the state can do to improve mine safety and the public response to whatever emergencies arise.
Huntsman will make introductory remarks at the symposium, along with U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah.
McAteer is especially proud that the symposium includes speakers from other countries and other industries, whose outside perspectives might improve mine safety in the United States.
For instance, Christo De Klerk from South Africa and Tilman Rasche from Australia will talk about efforts in their respective countries to prevent and control bumps. Another panel discussion will explore seismic technologies used in other lines of work to detect pressure buildups.
"Innovation is the key to a major breakthrough in mine safety," McAteer said. "We know we can make mining safer for everyone involved - and we are bound and determined to do this."
mikeg@sltrib.com
