Published in the August 2007 American Longwall Magazine
Established in 1883 with its first mine inspector, Oscar Veazey, the office was part of newly-passed state regulations. "The first code section called for the appointment of a mine inspector to make certain the mines in the state were 'properly drained and ventilated'," said Wooten, adding it would be four more years before law revisions would be seen.
Then known as the West Virginia Department of Mines, a name it would keep until 1985, the agency began with five districts and gradually grew to 50. In 1985, the Department of Mines merged with other organizations to form the West Virginia Department (later Division) of Energy and, in 1991, officially became the West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training.
There are five strategically-placed offices in Charleston, Danville, Welch, Oak Hill, and Fairmont, with staff of 110 (43 underground, 11 surface, 14 electrical and 13 safety inspectors and eight region supervisors). Funding is state and federal, added to fee revenues for assessments, permits and worker certifications.
"Our inspectors today are responsible for inspecting more than 713 mines, quarries and coal handling facilities as well as approximately 2500 independent contracting companies," Wooten explained, noting that inspectors are responsible for regular inspections and investigations. The office also maintains four mine rescue teams, develops training materials and keeps industry statistics.
Taking it personally
Wooten began as director in October 2006, after interim director James Dean left to return to teaching duties at West Virginia University. He is a 30-year veteran of the mining community, having served with Consol since 1972 (vice president of safety 1982-1998), US Steel, as a mine safety consultant, and as director of federal government relations for Consolidation Coal, and in various capacities for The American Mining Congress.
A graduate of Emory and Henry College as well as Memphis State University School of Law (now the University of Memphis), Wooten has had extensive industry involvement as well. These include past chairman of the Bituminous Coal Operators Association Safety Committee, Joint Industry-United Mine Workers of America Safety Committee, and American Mining Congress Coal Mine Safety Committee. He has also served on committees for the National Mining Association and the West Virginia Coal Association.
While he noted an absence from the industry, Wooten said his love of mining brought him back. The deep-rooted commitment to each of the state's workers is top priority when it comes to the office's mission.
He admits the agency has faced challenges, especially with the increased workload created by federal regulations that has caused it to evaluate the state's safety standards for items such as chambers, SCSRs, seals and communications.
"We, as a team, have been able to overcome these challenges with long hours, dedication to the jobs at hand and exceptional cooperation from and with our industry partners - mine operators, the UMWA, equipment manufacturers, safety and testing labs.
"Certainly we continue to face challenges with regard to safety and training, installation and use of new safety equipment, training of our own staff and new employees, but we keep working, we keep facing the problems and making decisions on how to resolve them and we challenge the MHST staff to be organized, knowledgeable and responsible," Wooten said.
The example the agency has set for regulators of other coal states, he said, has been a good one. "West Virginia has been so much in the headlines for the past 18 months that we are being watched every time we make a move, especially as those moves relate to safety and technology and the way we are handling the accident investigations of last year.
"By taking responsibility for looking at safety under the auspices of our safety technology task force, improving our mine rescue teams and their equipment, incorporating reporting programs for SCSR inventories and being diligent in our investigations, we have moved forward into some uncharted territory. We are showing other states that, when it comes to mine safety, working together gets results that everyone - management, labor and government - can understand and commit to."
Going forward, Wooten said he has many ideas on how to make the agency and mining stronger. "Communications, team work, vigilance, technological advances and a stronger agency team would be the recipe I want to use for success in West Virginia's mining industry."
