Women in Mining
The Joseph A. Holmes Safety Association Profiles Women in the Industry
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Some people seem to have known what they wanted to be when they grew up since the age of five. As for myself, nothing could be further from the truth. Coming from a traditional family setting (mother, father, and one brother) and living in a small town, a career as a teacher, nurse, or housewife would have been the expected plan. Becoming a coal miner was beyond my wildest dreams.
For some, the pursuit of a non-traditional occupation stems from a desire to “change the world” to be a pioneer, or just to be different. For me, the sole motivating factor was money. Since the dominant industry in the area where I lived was the coal industry, and the best paying jobs were coal mining jobs, the choice was obvious for me. In the early 1970s, new stories of women going to work in the mines were beginning to flash on the 6 o’clock news. With the knowledge of the lifestyle a job in mining could provide for me and my son, and too much pride to ask for help from my family, I set out on becoming a coal miner.
After applying for employment with a number of coal companies, I finally got a call for an interview. This interview turned out to be the single most important event in what has become a very rewarding career. I was asked questions like “Kid, have you ever been in a mine? Do you want to stand bent over and shovel coal till your back breaks for the rest of your life?” At my honest reply of, “No Sir,” his gruff tone began to change.
From the start, hostility and resentment toward my new job became all too apparent. Although many miners were less than accepting, similar attitudes from friends and family took me by surprise. As a counter to all of this hostility, I had the largest paycheck I’d ever seen, and the determination to make this work. Thus began my uncharted path of education, work, and trial and error. Through the suggestion and examples of a select few individuals, for and whom I worked, I began to realize the difference between a “job” and a “career.” Today I hope to pass on the same type of encouragement to others who come after me.
What is it like to be an Inspector?
In my case, becoming a mine inspector seemed a natural progression from the experience gained through working in the mine. My job abilities and titles in the mine had ranged from general inside laborer to safety manager, with my main interest in the area of health and safety. Mine Safety and Health Administration inspectors are deeply committed to improving the health and safety conditions under which miners make their living. In most cases this commitment is born from the inspectors’ first-hand personal knowledge of the hazards of the occupation, enhanced by the training that all new Federal inspectors receive.
I applied for an inspector’s position in 1987 after some encouragement from a friend who was an inspector. The Federal hiring register was open for the first time in several years. What did I have to lose? Never expecting to hear anything in response to my application, I found it was serious decision time when I did receive an offer.
With any job change there are uncertainties and anxieties — coming to work for MSHA was no different. By this time my mining background and education level were comparable to my male counterparts, which allowed for my progression through the ranks from trainee to journeyman inspector within the same timeframe as the male inspectors. I was later promoted to the job of health and safety specialist at MSHA headquarters.
A typical day for me as a mine inspector would begin early, usually 6:00 a.m. at the field office, gathering inspection equipment then traveling to a mine. One difference for me as a woman is that it is helpful to know what kind of facilities, if any, are available at a mine I am going to inspect. Male mine inspectors can don their uniform and safety equipment in an all-male miners’ bath house or even the parking lot. Preplanning could save me a lot of embarrassment or discomfort while at the mine.
In my experience as an MSHA inspector, I have always been relatively well received initially by both mine management and miners. That is, until the novelty wears off or some enforcement action becomes necessary. At that time their perspective changes to “this woman doesn’t know what she is talking about.” Fortunately, the negative reactions don’t last long, especially when you do your job consistently.
Another of the more easily resolved problems of a female mine inspector is the different capabilities of men and women. Physical strength, or the lack of it, seems to be the first in a long list of “can’t do” items that a woman is presented with in a nontraditional occupation. Compensation for physical weakness can easily be accomplished with the creative use of tools, levers, and equipment.
A more subtle but just as common obstacle comes in the form of attitudes and opinions of more traditional and less flexible coworkers. There is no simple, quick fix way to tear down those barriers. They must be dealt with on an individual case-by-case basis. Unfortunately, this often takes more than just being good at what you do.
For many women, experience can be another barrier. Just the lack of years of experience moves you to the back of the line. This necessitates finding ways of catching up and becoming an equally productive member of the work force. Most women who have chosen a nontraditional career deeply desire to rise or fall on their own strengths and abilities. The stigma that results from the perception that women receive special treatment in the workplace of today hinders women to reach their full potential. It takes incredible personal strength to move forward in the face of such antagonism. Sometimes you feel so worn down that you reach the point where you say “why bother?” and quietly fall back into the socially accepted ranks.
It’s time for a new chapter in the book. The rules are in place establishing a woman’s right to equal treatment in the workplace. It’s time to start filling in the blank spaces. Laws and regulations alone can’t do the job. Networking, support systems, and good solid work are among the best tools that we as women can use to benefit ourselves, each other, and make valuable contributions in the workplace today.
Woman’s Place Is in the Mines
Women mining professionals were rare when an act of Congress created the Mine Safety and Health Administration in the U.S. Department of Labor in 1978. Today, a woman with the MSHA logo on her hard hat no longer causes astonishment when she arrives at a mine.
All of the women who have broken ground in the mining career field have interesting anecdotes to share. The following individuals represent MSHA women who have held a variety of jobs both in industry and in the Federal government.
Here are their stories.
Diane Watson was drawn to non-traditional jobs like a magnet. From installing solar systems atop houses in Nevada, to shipping weapons and ammunition to law enforcement agencies throughout California, Watson seemed destined to land in an industry that boasts few women into its ranks. For five years, Watson held a variety of jobs at an open pit gold mine, from haul truck driver to bulldozer, loader and grader operator.
“Basically, I worked my way through all the equipment,” she says. Her work ethic and company smarts were noticed by an MSHA mine inspector, and she was encouraged to apply for a job at MSHA. “That was when I realized how serious MSHA people are about what they do. I wanted to be a part of that,” says Watson.
Since 1988, Watson has regularly inspected the nearly 50 metal and nonmetal surface mines in her northern California territory. Watson takes seriously the responsibilities of her job, and the gratification she seeks is simple and heartfelt. “I know that I have the capacity to save lives,” she says. “There are days when I talk to the miners and I know they are really listening, and maybe I’ve convinced them to change the behavior that could get them injured or killed. Those are the days when being a federal mine inspector is really worthwhile.”
Linda Zeiler wondered how far a double major in environmental science and religious studies would take her. For the first two years of her working life, it landed the Pittsburgh native a job at a lab at her Alma matter, the University of Virginia. Then an opening at MSHA’s Toxic Materials Division drew her back to her hometown for an interview. Although she didn’t get the job, she did go back to school for yet another degree, this time in chemistry. It paid off. In 1982, Zeiler was hired by MSHA’s Physical and Toxic Agents Division, where she spent 12 years. As a chemist, Zeiler analyzed gas samples at mine operations throughout the country where underground mine fires were actively burning. She juggled her job with courses at the University of Pittsburgh, where she would eventually earn a Master’s degree in Industrial Hygiene.
In 1995, Zeiler took a technical support job at MSHA headquarters in Arlington, where she headed an advisory committee studying the health effects of dust exposure on miners. That was followed by an assignment drafting a regulation on air quality and respiratory protection. By 2000, she had achieved a new feather in her hard hat — deputy director of Technical Support. “The experience gave me much more exposure to the safety side of MSHA, whereas my background is primarily in health,” says Zeiler. “It was also worthwhile because I helped put together a list of recommendations for the improvement of MSHA’s overall impoundment inspection and plan review process.”
Certainly there are challenges in upper management, notes Zeiler. “It’s all about the big picture — meeting the goals of the Assistant Secretary and assisting the other program areas as best as you can.” The picture has gotten a bit bigger of late. In August 2002, Zeiler was one of the 27 people selected for the Labor Department’s Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program.” “Achieving SES status requires a well-rounded understanding of all the components of an agency. Again, it’s all about the big picture,” says Zeiler.
Dani White was a third generation worker in the oil fields of Oklahoma, and had the industry boom continued, her career path might have been quite different. During a two-year stint in the Army, White was the first woman in her unit to work on heavy artillery. When her tour of duty ended, White returned home and spent the next seven years running cranes and building rigs in the oil fields of Oklahoma and West Texas.
By 1980, a shift in the economy led to cutbacks in the oil industry, and White found herself out of a job. Because of her experience running front-end loaders and haulage trucks, she didn’t stay unemployed for long. For the next nine years, White worked at a limestone quarry on the Arkansas River operating crushing, loading, drilling, and blasting equipment.
Eventually, White moved up to superintendent and encountered the usual challenges that face those who manage. “It doesn’t matter whether you are male or female; you have to win the confidence of the workers,” she says. White’s crew earned a number of safety bonuses and developed solid safety programs and initiatives during her tenure. “I was very proud of our safety record, which was a big factor on why I decided to take a job at MSHA,” she says. In 1999, White entered MSHA’s inspector training program and parlayed the skills she had garnered as a mine superintendent into her new position.
Today, in her inspection territory she covers 44 metal and nonmetal mines throughout Oklahoma. “I let them know how I am. And I ask them to be straightforward with me,” she says. “I try not to preach to them about safety, but I relate a lot of my own experience and near misses and what I could have done to prevent them.” She continues, “They ask a lot of questions, so that tells me they’re really listening.”
In the 1970s, making inroads in a man’s world was no easy task, but Margaret Lally took it all in stride. The mine safety and health specialist in MSHA’s Office of Assessments is a veteran of the coal mining industry of Kentucky, her home state.
In 1972, Lally answered an ad for a keypunch operator at a coal company operating 13 mines in western Kentucky. Lally tackled her new job with energy and enthusiasm, and in no time was reassigned to the lab that analyzed coal prior to shipment to utility companies. For 10 years, Lally was in charge of sampling at the company’s preparation plants, the processing centers where coal is cleaned and readied for distribution. “This was no office job. I was out at one of the plants every single day,” she says. Eventually shifting gears, she applied to MSHA in 1992 and began her Federal service as a mine inspector. This was something new, but not unwelcome. “I understood what happened after coal came out of the ground and is shipped off to the utility companies,” says Lally. “Now I would find out what happens while it’s being mined underground.”
By 1997, Lally thought an assignment at MSHA headquarters in Arlington would provide her with better opportunities for advancement, so she applied for a job in the Office of Assessments. Here she would review citations for safety and health violations and determine what dollar amount to attach to each one. Lally’s field experience has served her well in this position. “Whenever I pick up a fatality report, I can visualize exactly what they are talking about. It certainly helps me in assessing violations,” she says.
— By Cheryl McGill, Joseph A. Holmes Safety Association
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