Presumably, coal-mining is the most dangerous job in China. In spite of the fact that more than 4,300 miners had dead last year, some rather impoverished farmers are still looking for a rank in the mining fraternity.
Pernicious intake of dust also culminated in pneumoconiosis, a disease of the lungs, caused by the prolonged inhalation of dust. The number of victims suffering from such a disease has been increasing at an intimidating rate of 70,000 per year.
The pecuniary attraction of the mining industry has lured many farmers into the business. With the amount of salary determined by the number of carts of coal miners were able to fill, it seems to the miners that, risking their life to digging can receive a renunciation enough to meet their responsibilities of supporting their families in return.
China holds its record in the fatality of mining with two deaths per million tonnes of coal mined. It was far higher than the US and India, where coal-mining has also been a popular job for impoverished people.
Contradictory to the Chinese government campaign slogan,’ Safety first, production second’, the mines located in Dayangou have been producing 100,000 tonnes of coal annually, while the government only licensed to produce 30,000 tonnes. The competition of producing most coal among other mines has created pressure on work safety.
The mine bosses are trying hard to conceal any incident statistics to the miners, let alone the government, with the fear of closing down the mines temporarily for investigation and therefore, depriving the miners of earning the money. The bosses even threatened the miners who might have witnessed the accidents that, if the government or outsiders get to know the accidents and affect the progress of mining, there will be a probability of them receiving a dismissal.
The deplorable living conditions of the miners have also made them secretly took umbrage to their bosses, but all the while keeping their mouth shut to secure the job.
However meticulous they might be, in order to avoid incidents, it is very rare not to have one. If the incident only resulted in a broken leg or an injury, it can already be perceived as lucky. Miners who had joined the industry may have found mining endowed with wealth, but after a terrible accident, they said they have learned a lesson and wouldn’t choose to be a miner again if ever their injury could be recovered.
Although it might have seemed to you that the Chinese government has been doing nothing at all, the actual number of deaths is having a steady decline. The government has tried to restrain unsafe practices, bringing down the number by 20 per cent. Despite the effort to safe the workers, small operations are responsible for more than 80 per cent of casualties. As a conclusion, if the miners would like to have better protection by the ‘awaking’ government, they should know which to choose from.