“Taking the work from the past and improving it with modern technology could save lives,” said one US researcher of mining’s reaffirmed commitment to improved safety for all workers in every mine.

The sentiment has been confirmed with the onslaught of new products, services and ideas that have been brought to the table in the 12 months since coal received the first in a series of much-publicised black eyes.

In fact, the expert said, the new face of the industry and the new perspective has returned some of the research done before that did not see further interest due to situations at that time, which is now being looked at again – this time with an eye to the future.

“While many new technologies have been tested, few have incorporated proven lessons from the past,” he said.

“The US Bureau of Mines [now NIOSH] created many devices which could solve many of the problems with today’s mine communications. The technology never caught on because of the limited market, state of the industry, and other issues.”

Many products with inspirations rooted in the past as well as the present have been presented in the months since Sago at various mining conferences, public meetings, expos and symposiums throughout the US. In addition to mine communications, some of these include longer-life self-contained self-rescuers (SCSRs), fire inertion technology, seal alternatives and tracking devices.

While the coal industry jumped from a record-low fatality rate of 22 in 2005 to 47 last year, some miners say their resolve to emerge from the mine safely each day has been strengthened more than ever: “I’m looking out for myself and my guys more than ever,” said one northern Appalachian worker. Great news, with miner attitudes playing a key role in the success of any mine safety initiatives the industry brings forward.

Another miner, KC Schmidt, said the events of last year have done anything but scared him away from his dream of mining coal. “Everyone that goes down that shaft knows that the day could be really good or really bad. It is up to the miners themselves, the company and the contractors to check their equipment and keep task training for their miners.”

A red hat, he reflected on a discussion with an experienced worker that he recalls nearly every day: “I was told by an old miner one time when we were smoking after we came up to the top – he said, ‘KC, not everyone can do this job; it takes a special breed of person to come down to the depths of hell and work to make a life for you and your family … you are a chosen one.’”

He said that, like many other workers, Sago has had an effect on the way he looks at his work and always will – it cannot be avoided. However, as a “chosen one”, it is the commitment to his work, his family and his fellow workers which counterbalance that.

“Sago was before my mining career [but] mining has been a strong part of the Mid-Ohio Valley for many years. No one thinks of anything like that when you are down there, it is there … but if you think about it, it will haunt you until you or someone else makes a mistake.

“It will always be on our minds as miners and as human beings. It hurts, but … like I was told, I guess I am a chosen one, and everyone else who goes down is the same. Godspeed to the miners down there today, we will always be here for you through thick and thin.”

Recent updates: Some new answers, but still unanswered questions

As the first anniversary of the Sago explosion drew closer, those examining the events during and prior to the incident began to share their findings in a series of reports by various groups.

First, the Mine Safety Task Force, led by Professor Larry Grayson from the University of Missouri-Rolla, publicised its findings last month after nine months spent researching not only the West Virginia accident but also evaluating the future of mine safety for US mines based on decades of collaborative experience by its committee as well as more than 25 years of mining disasters.

Grayson said the increase in mining hazards can be looked at with a five-pronged collection of industry changes over a period of time that may have played a part.

First, he said, the method of control for possible impacts of abandoned sections underground has evolved over time: “We have seen a transition from ventilation using bleeder systems as the primary control method to sealing abandoned areas [and] we have also seen a change in the methods for constructing seals.

“Second, some equipment has gotten bigger and more powerful, but technology for suppressing fires in incipient stages has not kept pace.

“Third, we are just now realising a significant influx of new miners into the industry, and the transition over the past years of experienced managers to higher positions may have left a void in experience-based knowledge that leaves a gap in on-the-job training for dealing with infrequently experienced contingencies.”

A fourth factor relating to it, he added, may be mine layout-related. “The design of mines has generally changed over time,” he noted.

“Some level of complacency cannot be ruled out,” he said of the fifth factor.

“After experiencing no fatalities from fires and explosions for a seven-year period, and then realising a record-low number of fatalities in underground coal mines in 2005, we all thought that we were doing an excellent job, and one that would be sustained in future years.”

After a weeklong delay, the West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training released its report on the Sago explosion, which was received with disappointment by the families of the victims. One, according to the Associated Press, called the meeting “disturbing” because the briefing was presented as a PowerPoint slideshow and that “there are no new answers” for the loved ones of the 12 killed.

“If lightning caused this accident, so be it, but they still have not presented us with how the lightning got in the mine. And if you can’t tell us how lightning got in the mine, you cannot prevent it from happening again,” Pam Campbell told the news service recently.

State Governor Joe Manchin said to the media that the research team is doing all it can to find answers and disseminate the details.

“Every effort is being made to give them every piece of information they have. Then the families have to find their own comfort zone, if there’s any to find.”

Some reports, such as that from the US Mine Safety and Health Administration, are still outstanding and are expected sometime in 2007.