Accidental Anguish

Sago Mine survivors struggle with post-traumatic stress

Every day, 9,000 workers in the U.S. are injured on the job seriously enough to be considered at least temporarily disabled, according to NIOSH estimates. Sixteen workers are fatally injured each day.

But the toll goes beyond these numbers.

What about the coworkers who witnessed or survived these incidences — falls, amputations, crashes, cave-ins and electrocutions, for instance?

What about the rescue or recovery workers?

Are you prepared to handle cases of post-traumatic stress in your workplace?

The horror continues
On September 23, 2006, fire boss John Boni, 63, a survivor of the Sago Mine explosion that killed 12 miners earlier this year, committed suicide. Mr. Boni, who retired after the January 2nd blast, had detected low levels of methane in the mine five days before the explosion and reported it to a supervisor. But nothing came of it.

On August 29, Bill Chisolm, 47, an above-ground dispatcher at the mine who was on duty the morning of the explosion, committed suicide.

Both men shot themselves, police told The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette.

"…the horror of the disaster continues to be a source of stress and pain today," relatives of the men who died at Sago said in a prepared statement. "There must have been enormous stress on Mr. Boni and Mr. Chisolm."

Almost 1,000 people attended Mr. Boni's visitation. But most of the 16 miners working in another section under the mountain at the time of explosion, who survived by climbing through dust and debris to the surface, decided not to go, according to an October 8th article in
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

"I guess I should have gone," a survivor told the paper.

"Avoidance" is one of three categories of symptoms signaling post-traumatic stress, according to the web site MedicineNet.com.

Avoidance refers to a person's attempts to avoid trauma-related thoughts or feelings and activities or situations that might trigger painful memories.

Days after the Sago blast, grief counselors arrived on the scene, prepared to hold weekly meetings with miners for as long as necessary. But only three people showed up, all juveniles, and the sessions were cancelled, according to the Post-Gazette.

Too many memories
Reliving the shock — "re-experiencing" — is the second major symptom of post-traumatic stress. "I think about it (the explosion) every time I'm in there," one of the surviving miners said in the article. More than ten months after the disaster, he often spends hours tossing in bed before finding sleep.

"Too many memories," another survivor told the Associated Press. "It brings tears to your eyes. Too many good men."

At least two of the surviving miners have left Sago to work in another mine.
"Your nerves stay shot," one of the miners who moved on told the Post-Gazette. "Every single noise, you jump. You're on edge all of the time."

This is "increased arousal" — the third category of symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress. Being on edge or being easily startled are forms of arousal. Nightmares and insomnia can also signal an aroused, agitated nervous system.

Watching the Weather Channel late at night sometimes helps relax the miner who often finds sleep elusive. "It's got that music to it," he said.

The last straw
Post-traumatic stress (PTS) doesn't make someone commit suicide "out of the blue," a psychologist told the Post-Gazette. But it can be the last straw, he said.

Sleeplessness, spontaneous crying, anxiety and fear — all occurrences of PTS — don't always show up immediately after the fact. All the more reason to be on alert if a shocking accident occurs in your workplace.

If such an incident does happen, consider the workers who might be affected:

• Those who were personally threatened with death or serious injury due to the accident.

• Workers who learned about the death, near death or serious injury of a relative or close friend.

• Those who witnessed the incident.

It's estimated that 5.2 million Americans ages 18-54 are diagnosed with PTS, according to the web site HealthyPlace.com. One study estimated that eight percent of Manhattan residents living below 110th Street (approximately 67,000 people) have probable PTS related to the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

What are the antidotes?
"You just can't say, 'Counseling is available'," Senator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia told the Associated Press after privately meeting with people touched by the Sago tragedy earlier this month.

Many people, such as miners, construction workers, firefighters, police and others who pride themselves on toughness and steady nerves, are reluctant to seek out professional help.

That's a reason the relatives of some of the men who died at Sago publicly urged surviving miners to seek help. "There is no shame in acknowledging that the horror of the disaster continues to be a source of stress and pain today," they said in their statement.

That kind of message should be relayed by safety managers in the wake of a wrenching accident. Communicate, but don't counsel. Leave that to the experts.

The American Red Cross is now working with mental health professionals trained in trauma treatment. For information or referral, contact your local American Red Cross chapter, or the American Psychological Association at (800) 374-2721; (202) 336-5500.

After a traumatic accident, keep your eyes and ears open. Not just in the immediate days following, but months later as well. "You ain't going to live forever," one of the surviving miners told the Post-Gazette this month. "I guess we're all just walking dead men."

Believing that the future will be short is a way to block out the pain of post-traumatic stress — avoidance, as the psychologists say.