29 Killed in a Mine Run by Greedy People - The Upper Big Branch Disaster Documentary

Twenty-nine miners were killed in the Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster owned and operated by Massey Energy. It became one of the deadliest mining accidents in recent American history. The mine racked up over 1,300 safety violations in just five years prior to the accident. Instead of fixing the real problems inside the mine, Massey Energy treated fines as a cost of doing business. This kind of reckless culture driven by profit over people, eventually set the stage for the explosion that happened on April 5th 2010. The explosion began from a spark when a massive longwall shearer (a coal-cutting machine) hit hard rock instead of coal and suddenly ignited methane around it. In a properly managed mine, safety requirements such as proper ventilation, rock dusting and water sprays should have prevented catastrophe. But at Upper Big Branch, ventilation was tampered with while rock ducting was inconsistent. The result was an uncontrollable chain reaction. A coal dust and methane explosion that propagated through nearly two miles underground. Investigations by MSHA, federal prosecutors and independent panels concluded the disaster was entirely preventable. Massey Energy’s culture of ignoring safety led directly to the deaths. In the years after, the company paid $209 million in penalties and restitution, and several executives were convicted, including CEO Don Blankenship who became the first U.S. coal boss to serve prison time for mine safety crimes. Yet for many in West Virginia, one year in jail for 29 lost lives was nowhere near justice. ---- Support the channel: https://sociabuzz.com/ashesandafter/give ---- Credits & References: • Footages    • Upper Big Branch Mine-South Explosion Scen...      • Don Blankenship Says Mine Tragedy That Kil...   Jon Hancock, Bob Bird, David Goldman • Publications • MHSA - Upper Big Branch Mine Explosion Investigation Report - https://www.msha.gov/sites/default/fi... • Independent Investigation Performance Report - https://minesafety.wv.gov/PDFs/Perfor... • National Committee on the Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster - https://onlabor.org/wp-content/upload... • U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce - https://edworkforce.house.gov/uploade... • NPR - “Massey Mine Boss Pleads Guilty as Feds Target Execs” - https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-w... • MHSA - Executive Summary of Upper Big Branch Disaster Report - https://www.msha.gov/sites/default/fi... • U.S. Department of Labor “Alpha Natural Resources to Pay $209 Million in Settlement Over Upper Big Branch” - https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases... • Don Blankenship Manifesto - https://media.wix.com/ugd/07aaa1_0f76... • Music Maestro Tlakaelel - Jesse Gallagher ---- Timestamp: 0:00 - Massey Energy’s Reckless Playbook 3:39 - Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster 8:22 - Accountability & Convictions 10:02 - Don Blankenship