In To Punish or Persuade, John Braithwaite declares that coal mine disasters are usually the result of corporate crime. He surveys 39 coal mine disasters from around the world, including 19 in the United States since 1960, and concludes that mine fatalities are usually not caused by human error or the unstoppable forces of nature. He shows that a combination of punitive and educative measures taken against offenders can have substantial effects in reducing injuries to miners. Braithwaite not only develops a model for determining the optimal mix of punishment and persuasion to maximize mine safety, but provides regulatory agencies in general with a model for mixing the two strategies to ensure compliance with the law. To Punish or Persuade looks at coal mine safety in the United States, Great Britain, Australia, France, Belgium, and Japan. It examines closely the five American coal mining companies with the best safety performance in the industry: U.S. Steel, Bethlehem Steel, Consolidation Coal Company, Island Creek Coal Company, and Old Ben Coal Company. It also takes a look at the safety record of unionized versus non-unionized mines and how safety regulation enforcement impacts productivity.

Mine Safety combines detailed information on safety in mining with methods and mathematics that can be used to preserve human life. By compiling various recent research results and data into one volume, Mine Safety eliminates the need to consult many diverse sources in order to obtain vital information. Chapters cover a broad range of topics, including: human factors and error in mine safety, mining equipment safety, safety in offshore industry and programmable electronic mining system safety. They are written in such a manner that the reader requires no previous knowledge to understand their contents. Examples and solutions are given at appropriate places, and there are numerous problems to test the reader’s comprehension. Mine Safety will prove useful for many individuals, including engineering and safety professionals working in the mining industry, researchers, instructors, and undergraduate and graduate students in the field of mining engineering.

This book has been written as a reference and text for engineers, researchers, teachers and students who have an interest in the planning and control of the environment in underground openings. While directed primarily to underground mining operations, the design procedures are also applicable to other complex developments of subsurface space such as nuclear waste repositories, commercial accommodation or vehicular networks. The book will, therefore, be useful for mining, civil, mechanical, and heating, ventilating and air-conditioning engineers involved in such enterprises. The chapters on airborne pollutants highlight means of measurement and control as well as physiological reaction. These topics will be of particular interest to industrial hygienists and students of industrial medicine. One of the first technical applications of digital computers in the world's mining industries was for ventilation network analysis. This occurred during the early 1960s. However, it was not until low cost but powerful personal computers proliferated in engineering offices during the 1980s that the full impact of the computer revolution was realized in the day-to-day work of most mine ventilation engineers. This book reflects the changes in approach and design procedures that have been brought about by that revolution. While the book is organized into six parts, it encompasses three broad areas.