Miners deserve more

The saga of 33 Chilean miners trapped in a sweltering chamber 2,000 feet below the Earth’s surface has gripped the world. For nearly three weeks before rescuers made contact, these disciplined men tunneled for water and survived on two spoonfuls of tuna, sips of milk and a cracker every two days. Their rations have nourished faith and inspired hope for humanity. But their dusty imprisonment in the San Jose gold and copper mine since Aug. 5 also has provoked horror and rage at an industry that time and again fails to protect its workers.

Modest requests relayed through a four-inch borehole provide a window into their entombment: They wanted eyewash, an asthma inhaler, toothpaste. How about fruit and beer? They were elated to learn that some of their colleagues had escaped the collapse. They revealed that their own attempt to escape through a ventilation duct was stymied by a missing emergency ladder. Instead, they picked a leader, created a separate area to use as a bathroom, and waited for help.

Officials and mental health experts haven’t wanted to demoralize the trapped men with estimates that it could take three to four months to dig them out of the dark, but these are experienced miners who know the solid rock walls surrounding them. Chile’s state-owned Codelco mining company has taken charge of the rescue at the privately owned mine and is setting up a perforation drill capable of opening a two-foot-wide hole at a rate of 15 to 30 yards a day.

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said an investigation into the cause of the collapse at the mine owned by Minera San Esteban Primera has been opened along with criminal and civil cases against the company, and that those deemed responsible would be held accountable. More important in the long-run is the review of mining safety that he launched. San Esteban reportedly has a history of complaints against it for safety violations. It was closed in 2007 after the death of a miner and opened again in 2008 allegedly without complying with safety standards.

This tale is all too familiar from China to West Virginia, and now Chile. Workers descend into deep recesses of the planet to pull out coal that powers a nation’s industries, or in this case, copper and gold that are the lifeblood of the Chilean economy. The work is dangerous, but many of the mining disasters are preventable if owners take adequate safety measures and obey the law. The miners deserve better.