Federal Mines Safety Act of 1910

Summary

Federal Mines Safety Act of 1910 was a United States statute passed for the purposes of establishing the United States Bureau of Mines as a federal agency of the United States Department of the Interior. The Act of Congress authorized investigations of mining methods with an emphasis regarding the safety of miners while recovering combustible fossil fuels and confronting occupational dust exposure.

Federal Mines Safety Act of 1910
Great Seal of the United States
Long titleAn Act to establish in the Department of the Interior a Bureau of Mines.
NicknamesFederal Mines Accident Prevention and Safety Act of 1910
Enacted bythe 61st United States Congress
EffectiveJuly 1, 1910
Citations
Public lawPub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 61–179
Statutes at Large36 Stat. 369-b, Chap. 240
Codification
Titles amended30 U.S.C.: Mineral Lands and Mining
U.S.C. sections created30 U.S.C. ch. 1 § 1 et seq.
Legislative history
  • Introduced in the House as H.R. 13915
  • Signed into law by President William Howard Taft on May 16, 1910

In 1897, the United States Geological Survey created a mining geology program providing geological studies of mining districts (e.g., Comstock Lode and Leadville mining district) and examinations relevant to efficient mining extraction technologies of fossil fuel and precious metal materials.[1] The 1910 public law commissioned the United States Bureau of Mines to conduct future investigations of mining accidents exempting the United States Geological Survey.[2][3]

The H.R. 13915 bill was passed by the 61st United States Congressional session and enacted into law by the President William Howard Taft on May 16, 1910.

Mining Accidents and Federal Regulation Law edit

The 1910 United States federal law was created as a result of mining disasters where significant human resources perished in underground mining accidents.[4]

1900 Scofield Mine disaster 1907 Darr Mine disaster
1902 Fraterville Mine disaster 1909 Cherry Mine disaster
1903 Hanna Mine disaster 1911 Banner Mine disaster
1904 Harwick Mine disaster 1911 Cross Mountain Mine disaster
1907 Monongah mining disaster

Federal Experimental Coal Mine Stations edit

On December 22, 1913, the 63rd United States Congress passed a public law authorizing the United States Treasury to contract the design and development of a Bureau of Mines experimental station within the vicinity of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[5][6][7]

Date of Enactment Public Law Number U.S. Statute Citation U.S. Legislative Bill U.S. Presidential Administration
March 4, 1931 P.L. 71-842 46 Stat. 1518 S. 5220 Herbert C. Hoover
February 25, 1938 P.L. 75-436 52 Stat. 82 S. 628 Franklin D. Roosevelt

See also edit

Bituminous coal Mine safety
Coal dust Mining accident
Coalbed methane Safety lamp
Coalworker's pneumoconiosis Underground mine ventilation
Firedamp Underground mining (hard rock)
Lignite Underground mining (soft rock)

Safety Pioneers of Geologic Mining Industry

Joseph Austin Holmes George Otis Smith
Clarence King Walter O. Snelling

United States Legislation & Mining Industry

General Mining Act of 1872 Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969
Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 Black Lung Benefits Act of 1972
Federal Coal Mine Safety Act of 1952 Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977

References edit

  1. ^ "The First Quarter-Century". USGS.gov. U.S. Geological Survey - U.S. Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ Hall, Clarence; Snelling, Walter O. (1907). "Coal-Mine Accidents: Their Causes and Prevention - Bulletin No. 333" (PDF). USGS.gov. U.S. Government Printing Office.
  3. ^ Desborough, Arthur; Meissner, Carl; Watteyne, Victor (1908). "The Prevention Of Mine Explosions: Report and Recommendations - Bulletin 369" (PDF). USGS.gov. U.S. Government Printing Office.
  4. ^ "All Mining Disasters: 1839 to Present". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ~ National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
  5. ^ "Federal Mines Experimental Station Act of 1913 ~ P.L. 63-42" (PDF). 38 Stat. 251 ~ Senate Bill 2689. USLaw.Link. December 22, 1913.
  6. ^ "Experimental and Safety Research Coal Mines". NPS Places. National Park Service.
  7. ^ "MINE EXPLOSIONS MADE TO ORDER TO TEACH SAFETY; Government Proposes to Acquire a Mine and Stage Actual Convulsions for the Benefit of Operators and Lawmakers, and to Prove That Coal Dust Will Explode". The New York Times. January 1, 1911.

Open Flame Illumination & Underground Mining edit

"Mining Lights and Hats". National Museum of American History. Smithsonian Institution.
"Oil-Wick Cap Lamps". National Museum of American History. Smithsonian Institution.
"Carbide Lamps". National Museum of American History. Smithsonian Institution.

External links edit

  • Abel, Sir Frederick Augustus (1889). "Mining Accidents and Their Prevention". Internet Archive. Scientific Publishing Company.
  • "United States Mining Laws, and Regulations Thereunder". Internet Archive. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1901.
  • Haynes, John Randolph (1912). "A Federal Mining Commission". Internet Archive. U.S. Government Printing Office.
  • Fay, Albert H. (1916). "Coal Mine Fatalities in the United States, 1870-1914". Internet Archive. U.S. Government Printing Office.
  • U.S. Bureau of Mines (1928). "Dust Explosion Demonstrations". Internet Archive. U.S. Department of the Interior.
  • "Bureau of Mines Boulder City Experimental Station - Nevada". LOC Photo, Print, Drawing. U.S. Library of Congress. 1941.
  • Mainiero, Richard J.; Verakis, Harry C. "A Century of Bureau of Mines/NIOSH Explosives Research" (PDF). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ~ National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Department of Health and Human Services.
  • Tuchman, Robert J.; Brinkley, Ruth F. "A History of The Bureau of Mines Pittsburgh Research Center" (PDF). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ~ National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Department of Health and Human Services.
  • "History of the Mining Program". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ~ National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.