The Supreme Mining Office has received complaints from miners who claim that their colleagues drink alcohol and take drugs, including smart drugs, while working underground.

Last month turned out to be one of the most disastrous Januaries in Polish mining. Six miners died and some were wounded in several accidents, causing the Supreme Mining Office to check safety at mines and opening a telephone hotline asking miners to report any cases of violating safety procedures.

“When human life is in danger we take all calls, even anonymous, seriously,” assures Jolanta Talarczyk from the Supreme Mining Office.

In just three weeks the office received more than 26 calls. Miners complained that methane levels were not being properly measured, that there were not enough people working on one shift, some people were mobbed by their supervisors, and, what is new, some miners drank alcohol and took drugs, including smart drugs, while working underground.

“These were single cases but, nevertheless, we decided to raise coal companies’ awareness of the new problem, which can threaten miners’ safety,” says Talarczyk, adding that the office will appeal to coal companies to launch training courses on smart drugs becoming a new threat in mines.

Coal companies seem to have different attitude towards smart drugs, however. Katowice Coal Holding, for example, bought drug tests to determine if miners are under the influence of drugs after several young miners suddenly fainted.

“They were not ill or drunk so we suspected they took smart drugs,” says Wojciech Jaros from Katowice Coal Holding. Meanwhile, Kompania Weglowa, the largest coal company in Poland, has tried to play down the problem. “Miners are not junkies. They prefer to drink than take drugs and they do it only after work,” says a spokesman from Kompania Weglowa. (mg/jb)

Source: Gazeta Wyborcza