National Miners Day is December 6th. It was established to mark the anniversary of the deadliest event for the domestic mining industry.

December 6, 1907, at least 362 coal miners in West Virginia died in an explosion.

The Assistant Secretary of MSHA, Chris Williamson, shared, “First of all on National Miners Day, we pay tribute and thank miners, to show gratitude for the work they do. It’s incredibly important to our communities, our national economy, and our national defense. We benefit from the things that miners do. That’s a big part of National Miners Day.”

He said the second part is about safety. “This is really hard work. And it’s not for everyone. A miner should be able to go to work at Keetac, and go home to Hibbing, both safe and healthy. That’s the expectation,” Williamson said.

He visited Keetac earlier this year.

The agency continues to work on a final rule to lower the exposure limit of silica.