Illinois coal miners go into a safety mode the very minute they lace up their boots, and they have three fatality-free years in these Midwestern coal mines to prove it! Success begets success, and safety rings true in these coalfields where a miner had better practice good safety or he'll be unlacing those same boots and headed out the portals. But it begs of one simple question: "How was this accomplished?" It doesn't just happen. Director Joe Angleton (right), of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Mines and Minerals, answers this way: "One of the most important factors in remaining fatality-free is the training and education within our state's mining companies. Safety and training, coupled with oversight at the state and federal levels are major contributing factors in Illinois' coal mine safety record.
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