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Showing posts with label Durango. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Durango. Show all posts

Friday, November 22, 2013

Cause of Gas Leak That Killed 2 Colorado Miners Is Sought

Today's post was shared by FairWarning and comes from www.nytimes.com


Federal mine safety inspectors on Monday were trying to determine the cause of an accident that killed two miners and injured 20 others near the mountain town of Ouray in southwestern Colorado.

According to the Mine Safety and Health Administration, a foreman and a miner at the Revenue Virginius Mine, which conducts underground gold and silver mining, were overcome by gas in an area where an explosive had been detonated.

The fallen miners, identified as Nick Cappanno, 34, of Montrose, and Rick Williams, 59, of Durango, died of carbon monoxide poisoning, officials said.

Mine rescue teams searching for the men detected fatal levels of the gas, and 20 miners were taken to hospitals, said Amy Louviere, a spokeswoman for the mine safety agency. All have been released.

The mine, owned by Star Mine Operations of Denver, has been cited for more than two dozen federal safety violations since the company began operating it in 2011. 

Many of the violations involved the misuse of electrical equipment and machinery, or a failure to follow safety precautions, federal mine safety records show.

In the most recent incident, on Oct. 22, federal inspectors cited the company for failing to secure gas cylinders safely and for using defective equipment.

According to the mine safety agency, the rate of workdays lost to nonfatal accidents at the mine was more than double the national average for each of the past two years.

Rory Williams, the mine’s manager, who is not related...
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Thursday, November 21, 2013

Two miners dead in Colorado, 20 others injured after Ouray blast

Today's post was shared by votersinjuredatwork and comes from www.denverpost.com

The two miners who were killed Sunday in Ouray died from carbon monoxide poisoning, authorities said. An explosion was ruled out as the immediate cause of the incident that sent 20 other miners to Western Slope hospitals.
The source of the poisonous gas, however, is under investigation. At a press conference Sunday night authorities said they were are looking at whether a small explosion in the mining process on Saturday might have been the source of the carbon monoxide.
The miners who were killed were identified as 34-year-old Nick Cappano of Montrose and Rick Williams, 59, of Durango. The other miners were expected to be OK, said Rory Williams, the operations manager for Denver-based Star Mine LLC.
"I knew both of these individuals personally," said Williams, who said he is no relation to Rick Williams. "They were hard-working men. They were great men. They will be remembered indeed."
Williams said all of the men are required to wear personal respirators and the two who died had them.
"As far as we can tell it doesn't appear to be an equipment malfunction," he said.
Williams said gas detectors are common on the site, and telephones link underground tunnels to the surface and other locations on the 34-acre site.
The Revenue-Virginius Mine, six miles south of Ouray, resumed operation this year at a historic site that produced silver from 1876 into the 1940s.
Star Mine received a permit from the state Feb. 5 to mine silver, gold and sulfides there. About 100 miners work at the...
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