So, huge, major, massive, record-breaking fines over the Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster. That's all well and good.
But look at what happened here. Read the article. Performance Coal did (or didn't do) X, Massey Mining did (or didn't do) Y, Etc. All sorts of actions and inactions that led to "entirely preventable" deaths.
And the results are some very big fines.
So … company names aside … who were the people involved? Who were the individuals that allowed the "flagrant safety violations"? Who were the people that encouraged the "practice of trying to cover up major hazards"? There wasn't some generic company avatar doing these things. It was individuals — foremen, managers, executives.
So what happens to them (aside from, one hopes, a lifetime of sleepless nights)? Were any of them named in the reports? Will that impact their future employability? Is anyone going to do time for these "entirely preventable" deaths?
Apparently not. Major fines are a good thing, but they're a dispassionate thing. It's numbers on a balance sheet. And maybe the company doesn't offer a dividend this year, or the profits are down enough to hurt someone's bonuses, or maybe a company goes out of business (and puts all those workers out of jobs).
Companies can't go to jail. They can only be fined.
So where are the flesh and blood people behind these deaths? #ddtb
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