Not only is Rodney Eversole a coal miner, he is also youth minister at the Awawam Pentecostal Church. Eversole stopped by Big Creek Elementary School Friday to talk with the upper grade students about coal mining in the 21st century.
Eversole, who works for Consolidated Energy at the company's Knott County operation, explained the equipment that today's coal miner uses to mine coal.
Eversole stressed how technology has impacted the mining of coal today in the eastern Kentucky coal fields. Today's coal miner has to be well trained, and like all American industry, the computer has changed the mining industry, too.
Eversole is an electrician, an essential position in the mining industry. All the equipment used in underground mining is powered by electricity. The mining industry is the biggest user of electricity in eastern Kentucky. Eversole stressed the importance of safety on the job. When hundreds of thousand of volts surge through large electrical cables to power the machinery, one mistake could result in serious injury or even death.
Eversole told the students mining, more than most jobs, requires teamwork and trust and miners are a rather close knit group of workers. However, since men first began to mine coal in eastern Kentucky, they have always had a great sense of humor and their favorite pass time is to pull pranks on one another, especially new miners.
A typical ploy is to send the novice after a tool or piece of equipment that doesn't exist, and watch in delight at his exasperation when the new miner can't find what he was sent to bring back.
Currently, there is a shortage of trained underground coal miners. Community colleges in the area are gearing up to begin miner training programs. Pay and benefits for underground coal miners is from $15.00 to $23.00 per hour.
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