Mine Where 5 Died Had History of Violations - New York Times

Mine Where 5 Died Had History of Violations - New York Times:

The Kentucky mine where five men were killed in an explosion on Saturday had been cited at least 41 times in the last five years for failing to clean up coal dust properly, which can lead to explosions, according to federal records.

State officials and mining experts said the reach of the blast, which was felt more than 5,000 feet from its estimated point of origin, seemed to indicate that coal dust was a major factor.

[...]

Federal regulators had cited Kentucky Darby LLC, the operator of the mine, three times this month, and at least 38 other times since 2001, for not cleaning up coal dust and other combustible materials, according to federal records. While federal investigators continued to study the cause of the explosion at the mine, relatives of the miners voiced frustration over a report that the miners' air packs had not worked.

Although federal mine safety officials insisted that the air packs had worked properly, relatives of one of the surviving miners said he had told them that he had had only five minutes' worth of clean air, rather than the hour's worth required by federal regulations.

Corporations keep getting away with crap like this over and over and over. When will the people insist on real reform (campaign finance, lobbying, accountability, enforcement of safety codes, etc.) instead of taking this shit?! Get outraged, people! Get outraged and vote for the people who really care about people instead of the one's who merely say they do (you know, the ones currently in power)!