Specialists in pursuing claims for people harmed through work or during medical treatment
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28th Apr 2010
Call for action to halt ‘deplorable’ rise in fatal accidents at coal mines
Campaigners are calling for an immediate review of health and safety in the UK coal industry following a sharp increase in the number of fatal accidents at collieries.
Legal experts and trade union officials want the next government to look into protocols for protecting .jpg)
people working at mines as a matter of urgency after the election following the deaths of eight men at pits across the north of England and the Midlands in the past four years.
people working at mines as a matter of urgency after the election following the deaths of eight men at pits across the north of England and the Midlands in the past four years.Speaking ahead of Workers Memorial Day (Wednesday, April 28), an international day of remembrance for people who have lost their lives in the workplace, John Woodhouse, an industrial injury specialist at Raleys Solicitors, said: “You have to bear in mind that between 2002 and 2006, there was not one single death at a coal mine in the UK.
“For eight to then occur in a relatively short space of time should raise serious questions. Some might just call it bad luck, but when faced with the material facts, you have got to question whether the health and safety standards are adequate.
“Miners, or any worker for the matter, do not go to work to get injured or killed. They deserve the best protection possible, and if they are not getting it, it is only right that people should fight to claim it.”
Chris Kitchen, national secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers, said: “The recent safety record of the coal mining industry is deplorable and cannot be allowed to continue unchecked. The NUM remains committed to reversing this disastrous trend. The safety of our members is paramount, and must take precedent over profits.”
The spate of fatal accidents started in June 2006 at Daw Mill colliery near Nuneaton, with two more tragedies occurring at the same pit in August 2006 and in January 2007.
In November 2007, a miner was killed at Welbeck Colliery near Mansfield, which was followed by two fatalities at Kellingley Colliery near Knottingley, West Yorkshire, in September 2008 and October 2009.
An accident at Thoresby Colliery in Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire in July 2009 claimed the life of another miner, while the most recent fatal accident happened in December 2009 at Maltby Colliery near Rotherham.
Workers Memorial Day is commemorated by trade unions across the globe. This year, the occasion is being formerly recognised in the UK for the first time.
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