Coal's toll

COAL MINING is a far safer occupation than it was a few decades ago, but that can be no comfort to the families of 12 miners who died in West Virginia. For the sake of their memory and for all those who will work the mines in the future, the government needs to examine this tragedy thoroughly to determine whether safety improvements should be required.

The operators of the Sago mine did take precautions. The 13 trapped miners were equipped with breathing devices, and 12 of them spread a curtain stored in the mine to keep deadly carbon monoxide out of the space where they awaited rescue. But only one of 13 lived, and he was in critical condition late yesterday. The Labor Department's Mine Safety and Health Administration, which will conduct the investigation, should examine whether better equipment could have saved more lives.

The investigators will seek to determine why carbon monoxide was present in fatal quantities. What caused the explosion that unleashed the gas, and was it the result of a chance accident or a correctable problem?

The Sago mine was cited for safety violations 273 times over the last two years, according to The Washington Post, and 42 workers have been injured in accidents since 2000. Underground mining is inherently dangerous, and the owners of the mine, who bought it two months ago, said they have made improvements. Investigators need to determine whether the violations were early warnings that should have prompted a more comprehensive upgrade of safety procedures.

The deaths were the worst in West Virginia since an explosion killed 78 in 1968. That disaster prompted Congress to approve the Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, which required the government to inspect all mines four times a year. This process, combined with a shift away from underground mining, has dramatically cut the number of accidental deaths from 260 in 1970 to 22 last year.

Coal has become more popular as a source of fuel in recent years. Old mines are being returned to production and young miners are replacing more experienced hands. Increased demand may require a tighter regulatory framework, yet the Bush administration has developed a business-friendly approach that emphasizes cooperation with mine owners.

Because of miscommunication, the Sago miners' anguished families thought for a while early yesterday that 12 men had survived. The federal government should make sure it determines the ultimate causes of this tragedy. Informed by the results of the safety probe, Congress will need to examine laws and regulations to ensure that other miners do not suffer a terrifying death below ground.