Centralia No. 5
Centralia No. 5
PAD 500- Modern Public Administration
April 23,2014
On March 25, 1947, a deadly coal mine explosion rocked the calm, peaceful town of Centralia, IL. During World War II, this mine provided coal to the war effort. A charge ignited built up coal dust and caused the explosion. This explosion should have surprised no one. Many public sector safety professionals from state and federal agencies knew of the hazards as a result of inspections, union complaints and letters to state officials. These same safety professionals had notified various officials of mine safety agencies and the mine company of the hazards on more than one occasion. Officers of the mine’s union had also pressed for the hazard to be corrected. Failure to take action to abate the hazard resulted in the loss of 111 hard working men who spent much of their lives mining coal. Driscoll Scanlan, who was a state mine inspector, notified public sector safety professionals from state and federal agencies of the hazards as a result of inspections. Scanlan addressed many issues concerning the safety of the employees and ways of which to resolve these issues. He could have addressed some other issues as well, in hopes that he would get someone to pay attention to what he was saying. Scanlan investigated the mine several times and he should have addressed the issue that too many workers were in the mine at a time. When the special commissions were doing their investigation, they found that there should be no “more than a hundred men working on a single split, or current, of air” (Stillman, 2010b, p.36). Another issue Scanlan could have addressed was the fact that when the special commission board was investigating the mine, no one was told of the date of the appointment. Every person has the right to be able to prove their issues and concerns, and by the Mining Board not informing the Union of when this was going to take place, was very unprofessional. The
PAD 500- Modern Public Administration
April 23,2014
On March 25, 1947, a deadly coal mine explosion rocked the calm, peaceful town of Centralia, IL. During World War II, this mine provided coal to the war effort. A charge ignited built up coal dust and caused the explosion. This explosion should have surprised no one. Many public sector safety professionals from state and federal agencies knew of the hazards as a result of inspections, union complaints and letters to state officials. These same safety professionals had notified various officials of mine safety agencies and the mine company of the hazards on more than one occasion. Officers of the mine’s union had also pressed for the hazard to be corrected. Failure to take action to abate the hazard resulted in the loss of 111 hard working men who spent much of their lives mining coal. Driscoll Scanlan, who was a state mine inspector, notified public sector safety professionals from state and federal agencies of the hazards as a result of inspections. Scanlan addressed many issues concerning the safety of the employees and ways of which to resolve these issues. He could have addressed some other issues as well, in hopes that he would get someone to pay attention to what he was saying. Scanlan investigated the mine several times and he should have addressed the issue that too many workers were in the mine at a time. When the special commissions were doing their investigation, they found that there should be no “more than a hundred men working on a single split, or current, of air” (Stillman, 2010b, p.36). Another issue Scanlan could have addressed was the fact that when the special commission board was investigating the mine, no one was told of the date of the appointment. Every person has the right to be able to prove their issues and concerns, and by the Mining Board not informing the Union of when this was going to take place, was very unprofessional. The