Feature Stories
Real Life Mining Stories With Leadership Lessons: Good Leaders Focus on Team, Not Self
August 10, 2011
One of the indications of authority in the coal mine in Ohio was the “buglight.” The proper name of the instrument is the Koehler flame safety lantern. This lantern replaced the cannery as the primary tool for detecting deficiency of
Real Life Mining Stories With Leadership Lessons: High Emotion Often Leads to Extreme Decisions
July 26, 2011
In 1972, two months before my 19th birthday, I joined the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) at North American Coal Company’s Number 6 mine. It was a closed shop (all miners were required to join the union) so I
Clean Coal Center of Excellence Finds Its Home in Regina Canada
July 19, 2011
Buried in last week’s news release that SaskPower had awarded Stantec a $30-million contract to provide consulting engineering services to the $1.2-billion Boundary Dam Integrated Carbon Capture and Storage demonstration project was the announcement that Regina would become home to
Real Life Mining Stories with Leadership Lessons: Safety and Production Go Hand-in-Hand
July 12, 2011
When I first became a supervisor in the coal mine, I was told that one of my primary jobs was to protect the section’s equipment “at any cost.” My shift foreman informed me that the continuous miner machine was worth
Real Life Mining Stories with Leadership Lessons: Leaders Must Use Humor Wisely
June 28, 2011
As a worker in the coal mine and in various other organizational roles, I have come across a number of heavy teasers. If you are familiar with my work or my writing, you will know that I like humor. However,
Real Life Mining Stories with Leadership Lessons: Eliminate Behaviors That Don’t Make Sense
June 7, 2011
Coal mining in the 1970s had some curious traditions, which would be considered by most as absurd today. One of the traditions was the Friday afternoon exodus. An extremely emotional issue among miners is their ability to get out of
Real Life Mining Stories with Leadership Lessons: Leaders Need to Protect Workers From Bad Attitudes
May 24, 2011
In the 1970s, superstition and fear of women in the coal mines was a combination of macho pride and old-fashioned sexist notions of the role of women in society. Many miners believed having women underground would take the men’s minds
Ready to Roll! Rulmeca Motorized Pulleys Positioned for Increased Mining Demand
May 17, 2011
The United States underground mining industry is showing signs it is ready to upgrade aging conveyor systems with Motorized Pulleys, and Rulmeca Corp. is poised to deliver. The Motorized (internally powered) Pulley technology was developed specifically for mining applications in
Real Life Mining Stories with Leadership Lessons: Leaders Should Create an Open Environment
May 9, 2011
Coal mining throughout most of the 1970s was filled with various types of strikes. The wildcat strikes were the most unpredictable. The actual signal to strike or not to strike often occurred at the elevator doors. A strike leader would
Real Life Mining Stories with Leadership Lessons: The Best Leaders Use Respect, Not Bullying
April 19, 2011
During the three years I worked at the Meigs Number Two coal mine (1979-1982), I saw very few strikes. Across the country, wildcat strikes became much less frequent after the 1978 contract between the United Mine Workers of America and
