The explosion at the Petrila Mine where 13 people had been killed was caused by the failure to observe occupational health and safety norms, the Labour Inspection establishing that five heads of the mine are responsible for the accident as they had not reported a number of irregularities, Labour Inspector Mariana Basuc said yesterday. According to her, the people found responsible are the manager of the Petrila Mine branch, the mining safety chief-engineer, the production chief-engineer, the chief of the mine rescue station and the head of the mine sector one. Three of them – the manager of the branch, the chief-engineer for mining safety and the head of the rescue station will be prosecuted, as the other two died in the mine blast on November 15, 2008.
The Labour Inspection applied 18 penalties, 14 at the Petrila Mine and four ay the National Coal Company of Petrosani, the total value of the fines being RON 152,000.
