Knowledgemine

The Bluefield Coal Show is in Bluefield WV this week. The show was much larger then I initially anticipated, but it has been a great opportunity to meet some great people and learn even more about the coal industry. The local paper did a little write-up on the show here and the Daily Mail here. As a newly engaged participant I had a very interesting experience, at lunch in the Food Tent I was joined at my table by a well dressed elderly couple. When I had finished my meal, I was glancing through the conference guide and I saw the picture of a seemingly familiar couple. Turns out it was Charles Peters the general chairman of the show and his wife, eating lunch at my table.At 3:00pm I attended the presentation workshops and talked to several organizations about the current state of training in the industry. Obviously, mine safety is on everyone’s mind. Many references to Sago and Aracoma shaped the discussions and several mentioned safety as the only issue that could hold coal mining back in the future.

The primary focus of the show was to enable support contractors to show producers their products and services. Being somewhat new to the industry, the show was basically one education session for me. I learned how bi-directional drilling works, how ropes for escapeways are getting more reflective, and how equipment manufacturers are incorporating safety as a selling point. Is this a good thing for the industry? It seems to me, that having an economic driver of safety features is a positive trend. I am sure it is nothing new to the industry, but a little new to me.

I stopped in Bluefield to grab a picture of this train hauling coal just downtown. The local paper editor introduced one of the speakers on Thursday and made reference to their understanding of how important coal is to the people in their town and the local economy.

I was not able to attend the final day of the show, because I needed to get back home to watch my Mountaineers with my 9 year old, and get some other work done, but I think I attended enough of the show to start to get a real feel for industry and where safety and training is headed. I look forward to gathering more information and integrating our strategy for providing effective learning opportunities for the industry. There are some critical drivers in the industry for effective education and I think it will be exciting to be a part of that.

Powered by ScribeFire.