Chilean miners: safety, wages and public action

The episode of the trapped Chilean miners provides an example of the conflict between allowing the market to solve the safety issues and avonding conditions that are inacceptable from a public interest point of view.  This article suggests that there is a clear wage compenstion for miners due to the risky status of the mine,  and that warkers are aware of it: it was a risky mine and there was a bonus of 20% of wages. On the other hand, to what extent shall a high-risk work-place be allowed to function? It cannot be argued that any place where an accident has occured should not be operating: we would have to close most of the streets to automobile traffic. The question is when the public risk becomes so high that private agreements are not enough, and a public interest regulation must be adopted, with the government empowered to shut down risky workplaces. Meanwhile, the Government of Chile has created a Labor Safety Commision to review the issue.