West Virginia Mine Continues to Flout Safety Laws

Massey Energy is back to work, endangering the lives of miners with its reckless attitude toward safety. Inspectors from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) have continued to find safety violations at the Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia where 29 miners were killed in an April explosion, according to The Wall Street Journal:

The Mine Safety and Health Administration issued 23 citations, including three for "significant and substantial" violations, since May 14, according to the agency's website. MSHA hasn't yet released detailed information about the citations, and it is unclear whether any violations could have played a role in the April explosion.

The three more-serious violations involved escapeways and "travelways" at the mine, which need to be well maintained so that miners can safely exit a mine in an emergency or travel to working areas. Several of the other violations were related to high-voltage circuits, cables and other electrical equipment. 

We will have to wait to see if Massey appeals the citations, a strategy that has kept it off of MSHA’s pattern-of-violations list in the past. By remaining absent from the list, Massey has avoided greater regulatory scrutiny.

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