The Upper Big Branch Mine Explosion: Occupational Hazard or Preventable Tragedy; A Look at State-Corporate Crime

<p>Corporate crimes, defined as "illegal and harmful acts committed by officer and employees of corporations to promote corporate interests," have a greater impact on society than many street crimes. Corporate crime includes a range of white-collar crimes that affect employees and consumers. White-collar and corporate crimes are often ignored by the media unless there is involvement in some high profile scandal. There tends to be a paucity of research associated with coal industry related corporate crimes. This includes personal and death related events in the coal mining industry. This was evident in the 2010 explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, West Virginia that resulted in the death of twenty-nine miners. The goals of this thesis include the examination of how the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster was represented by various institutions, including governmental agencies. Included are explanations of how Massey Energy corporate officials violated safety regulations and permitted the continuous operation of a mine that have been previously cited for numerous safety violations. Ultimately, a position is presented that the injurious and harmful actions of Massey Energy Corporation officials was criminal as opposed to a preventable accident. </p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Level thesis:degree_level

Master's

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Justice Studies

Grantor dc:publisher

Eastern Kentucky University

Year

2013

Author dc:creator

• Tate, Cassandra

• coal mining
• safety violations
• corporate crimes
• Criminology and Criminal Justice

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2013 Cassandra Tate

Repository record dc:identifier

https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/140

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:encompass.eku.edu:etd-1139