Coal Mine Safety and Health, from 1989 Video Those Who Know Don’t Tell

This clip about coal mine safety and health is from Abby Ginzberg’s 1989 award-winning documentary which traces the history of the struggle to rid the workplace of occupational hazards. Her documentary was narrated by Studs Terkel. In 1898, coal miners banded together to form the United Mine Workers of America in 1890, primarily to stop the loss of life caused by dangerous working conditions. With the formation of the UMWA an essential component of every wage agreement has always been those provisions directed toward the protection of the miners' lives, limbs, and health. In 1947 the union established a Safety Division which, since then, has been responsible for the development of the union's safety program. In 1969, the UNWA established a Department of Occupational Health, with a goal to improve the total health and well-being of the miners and their dependents by: eradicating coal workers' pneumoconiosis (black lung); controlling and preventing other occupational diseases occurring among coal miners; and serving as a focal point for other unions wanting to join an all-out campaign to establish an effective occupational health program in every industry in America. Dr. Lorin Kerr was appointed as the first director of the department, a position he held for years. Dr. Kerr was a leader in the field of occupational health for more than four decades. Thanks to filmmaker Abby Ginzberg for permission to post her wonderful film. To see more of her amazing work, visit the website http://www.socialactionmedia.com/.