Followers

Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Miners Day


Today we'll visit some mines where the men are either cleaning up in the showers or in their locker rooms.  We start with a photo that is, appropriately enough, a bit messy.

 

7 comments:

  1. Yup...blackened clothes, skin, and sometimes, lungs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The mining companies dodged responsibility for black lung for decades. Criminal.

      Delete
  2. I wasn't a miner, but in the middle 1970's did work in a coal-fired power plant. I worked on the 'coal crew' who handled all the processes that get the coal ready to go into the furnaces. The dust was sometimes so bad that I could be within two feet of a conveyer before I could see it!!! We just had a little 1-person shower in the locker room. One fellow even took a bath in our big mopsink!!! Not everyone worked in such a dirty job, and didn’t always shower. Some didn’t even use the shower when they did get dirty! I always used the shower. So I am quite familiar with having to shower at work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Were any breathing protection measures in place? Coal dust was a well known health issue by that time.

      Delete
    2. YES, we had respirators and eye protection, which sometimes really were uncomfortable in areas where the temperature was sometimes 130°Fahrenheit!!!!

      Delete
  3. It was a dirty job,but somebody had to do it. My hat is off to these men who risked their lives and long term health to do it.

    ReplyDelete