The Blast in Centralia No. 5: A Mine Disaster No One Stopped

Submitted by:
Munichia Johnson

Submitted to:
Dr. Joseph McCue

PAD 500
September 5, 2013

Identify and explain four (4) logistical alternatives Scanlan could have addressed.
Four logistical alternatives Scanlan could have addressed are time, communication, responsibility, and corruption. The first concern that Scanlan could have addressed is the time it took for the hierarchy to respond to the reports. The time it took for the hierarchy to respond to the reports was way too long. After reading the text it seems a response was made after several reports were submitted. The Centralia company did not comply with the major recommendations Scanlan made. In fact, they did not even bother to answer Weir’s thirteen letters based on Scanlan’s reports. Weir didn’t do anything about this. Early in the game, Weir considered the dusty condition of the mine so serious that he requested the company to correct it within ten days, but there is no evidence that the company even replied to the request. The second concern Scanlan could have addressed was difficulty with communicating. There was a problem communicating with those who were in a position to regulate the mining industry. Scanlan sent report after report to his superiors. Scanlan and his boss did not communicate effectively. They communicated vastly by mail. I believe they should have communicated face to face due to the severity of the situation. Miscommunication and faulty communication leads to the likelihood of failure (Garnett, 2009). The third concern Scanlan could have addressed was responsibility. Who was responsible? There were 111 men killed in that explosion. They had known for months that the mine was dangerous. Yet there was nothing done. Why not? Then men who worked in the mine had complained about the dust for a long time. They would cough up chunks of coal dust the size of walnuts after work. The fourth concern that Scanlan could have addressed was corruption. Scanlan worked during a period where corruption was seen as the norm. The people in position of leadership in government were easily bought by business trying to push their agendas. This was apparent with the mine owners and the agencies that were supposedly regulating the mines. According to the text, most inspectors would visit the mines and party with the owners. They were made friends in the government and money was put in the pockets of those in leadership. According to Escaleras, Anbarci, and Register, disasters do not kill people, negligence from corrupt public officials kill people (Anbarci, Escaleras, & Register 2007). Analyze and discuss Scanlan’s motivation toward the Constitution (the law), bureaucracy (as a public administrator responsible to the public), and obligation. Inspector Scanlan , led the rescue work after the disaster, went to work at the age of 16 in a mine near Centralia. He studied engineering at a night school, and worked 13 years as a mine examiner for a coal company. In 1941 he was appointed as a state mine inspector by Governor Green. Scanlan was a stubborn, righteous, and zealous man. When other inspectors arrived to inspect a mine they would go inside the office and chat with company officials. Scanlan would wait outside and down in the mine to talk with the miners, not the bosses (Stillman, 2010). Scanlan’s reports were always longer than any others. He listed every violation. It didn’t matter how minor. He made numerous recommendations for improvements. This was not required by law, but he took the time to do this for the safety of the miners. Take a position on two possible paths of action for Scanlan and defend your choices. The media is a powerful tool for communication. The media would have been called in immediately against the bureaucracy that Scanlan was facing. The media’s purpose and function is to bring awareness and exposure, (Horrocks, 2011). I would have used this alternative to my advantage. There wasn’t very much acknowledgement because the inspection reports were being passed around like they were nothing. Contacting the newspaper or some other media source would help bring pressure to the local level as well as the national level. Another plan of action would have been the development and implementation of and rescue and escape plan. When Scanlan met with the miners thorough investigations were conducted. There were some major infractions that needed to be dealt with expeditiously. These matters were not being attended to and nothing was happening. Safety should have been so heavily on the minds of the officials that the planning for disaster was imperative. The miners would have been more prepared for emergency situations if an escape plan had been devised. The best way to protect yourself, the workers, and your business is to expect the unexpected and devise a well thought out emergency plan to guide you when immediate actions is necessary. A workplace emergency is an unforeseen situation that threatens your employees, customers, or the public: disrupts or shuts down your operations; or causes physical or environmental damage, (OSHA, 2001). Scanlan and the miners knew that disaster would strike if the conditions were not improved. They should have been more proactive and prepared for the worst. In conclusion, it can be said that so many things went wrong with the Centralia No. 5 mine and its workers. As a public administration major, it is evident that political bureaucracy played a major role in this disaster. Although inspector Scanlan was a competent inspector, he could have pushed the issue more, followed up on his findings, and made more noise to possibly help prevent such a terrible disaster.

References
Anbarci, Escaleras, & Register (2007). “Public sector corruption major earthquakes: A Potentially deadly interaction,” Public Choice, Springer, Vol. 132(1), pages 209-230, July.
Horrocks, William Howard (2011). Using the Media to Your Advantage. Retrieved January 21, 2013, from http://www.newpatientsinc.com/articles
Stillman, R.J. III (2000). Public administration concepts and cases. New York: Houghton Mifflin.
www.osha.govSLTC/Publications