KY Mining Deaths Cut in Half in 2012

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The number of Kentucky coal miners killed on the job in 2012 fell by half from the previous year. Four died working in the mines this past year, and Kentucky Coal Association President Bill Bissett says the industry is making progress at protecting miners. But he says there’s still work to be done.

Nineteen coal miners were killed on the job nationwide in 2012. That’s the lowest count since the federal government began keeping records more than a century ago. West Virginia had the highest number of mining fatalities at seven. Kentucky was second and Alabama was third with two deaths.