What a surprise...

Deadly Record: Massey’s Mine In Montcoal Has Been Cited For Over 3,000
Violations, Over $2.2 Million In Fines

Massey Energy is actively contesting millions of dollars of fines for
safety violations at its West Virginia coal mine where disaster struck
yesterday afternoon. Twenty-five miners were killed and another four are
missing after a explosion took place at 3 pm Monday at Massey subsidiary
Performance Coal Co.’s Upper Big Branch Mine-South between the towns of
Montcoal and Naoma. It is “the most people killed in a U.S. mine since
1984, when 27 died in a fire at Emery Mining Corp.’s mine in
Orangeville, Utah.” This deadly mine has been cited for over 3,000
violations by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), 638
since 2009:

Since 1995, Massey’s Upper Big Branch-South Mine has been cited for
3,007 safety violations. Massey is contesting 353 violations, and 127
are delinquent. [MSHA]

Massey is contesting over a third (34.7%) of the 516 safety
citations the Upper Big Branch-South Mine received in 2009, its greatest
count in the last 15 years. [MSHA]

In March 2010, 53 new safety citations were issued for Massey’s
Upper Big Branch-South Mine, including violations of its mine
ventilation plan. [MSHA]


Massey is now contesting $1,128,833 in fines for safety violations at
the deadly Upper Big Branch-South Mine, with a further $246,320 in
delinquent fines:

Over $2.2 million in fines have been assessed against Massey’s
Upper Big Branch-South Mine since 1995, with $791,327 paid. Massey is
contesting $1,128,833 in fines. Massey’s delinquent fines total
$246,320. [MSHA]

Massey is contesting $251,613 in fines for citations for Upper Big
Branch-South Mine’s ventilation plan. [MSHA]

Millions of Dollars in Safety Fines at Upper Big Branch Mine

Before yesterday’s tragic explosion, there have been three fatalities at
Massey’s Upper Big Branch-South Mine in the last twelve years — one each
in 1998, 2001, and 2003. Massey’s corrupt CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
board member Don Blankenship, has previously told employees that it was
more important to “run coal” than follow safety regulations.

In 2002, President George W. Bush “named former Massey Energy official
Stanley Suboleski to the MSHA review commission that decides all legal
matters under the Federal Mine Act,” and cut 170 positions from MSHA.
Bush’s MSHA chief, Dick Stickler, was a former manager of Beth Energy
mines, which “incurred injury rates double the national average.” On
October 21, 2009, the Senate confirmed President Barack Obama’s choice
to replace Stickler, Joe Main, a “career union official and mine safety
expert.” Massey’s Suboleski is still an active review commissioner.



***

Mine work is dangerous, to be sure, but these operators have gone out of
their way to maximize profits at the cost of lives.



--
http://tinyurl.com/ykxp2ym

On 4/6/10 2:30 PM, hk wrote:
What a surprise...

Deadly Record: Massey’s Mine In Montcoal Has Been Cited For Over 3,000
Violations, Over $2.2 Million In Fines

Massey Energy is actively contesting millions of dollars of fines for
safety violations at its West Virginia coal mine where disaster struck
yesterday afternoon. Twenty-five miners were killed and another four are
missing after a explosion took place at 3 pm Monday at Massey subsidiary
Performance Coal Co.’s Upper Big Branch Mine-South between the towns of
Montcoal and Naoma. It is “the most people killed in a U.S. mine since
1984, when 27 died in a fire at Emery Mining Corp.’s mine in
Orangeville, Utah.” This deadly mine has been cited for over 3,000
violations by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), 638
since 2009:

Since 1995, Massey’s Upper Big Branch-South Mine has been cited for
3,007 safety violations. Massey is contesting 353 violations, and 127
are delinquent. [MSHA]

Massey is contesting over a third (34.7%) of the 516 safety citations
the Upper Big Branch-South Mine received in 2009, its greatest count in
the last 15 years. [MSHA]

In March 2010, 53 new safety citations were issued for Massey’s Upper
Big Branch-South Mine, including violations of its mine ventilation
plan. [MSHA]


Massey is now contesting $1,128,833 in fines for safety violations at
the deadly Upper Big Branch-South Mine, with a further $246,320 in
delinquent fines:

Over $2.2 million in fines have been assessed against Massey’s Upper Big
Branch-South Mine since 1995, with $791,327 paid. Massey is contesting
$1,128,833 in fines. Massey’s delinquent fines total $246,320. [MSHA]

Massey is contesting $251,613 in fines for citations for Upper Big
Branch-South Mine’s ventilation plan. [MSHA]

Millions of Dollars in Safety Fines at Upper Big Branch Mine

Before yesterday’s tragic explosion, there have been three fatalities at
Massey’s Upper Big Branch-South Mine in the last twelve years — one each
in 1998, 2001, and 2003. Massey’s corrupt CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
board member Don Blankenship, has previously told employees that it was
more important to “run coal” than follow safety regulations.

In 2002, President George W. Bush “named former Massey Energy official
Stanley Suboleski to the MSHA review commission that decides all legal
matters under the Federal Mine Act,” and cut 170 positions from MSHA.
Bush’s MSHA chief, Dick Stickler, was a former manager of Beth Energy
mines, which “incurred injury rates double the national average.” On
October 21, 2009, the Senate confirmed President Barack Obama’s choice
to replace Stickler, Joe Main, a “career union official and mine safety
expert.” Massey’s Suboleski is still an active review commissioner.



***

Mine work is dangerous, to be sure, but these operators have gone out of
their way to maximize profits at the cost of lives.





Forgot the URL for the news item:

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/04/06/massey-deadly-mine/

--
http://tinyurl.com/ykxp2ym

hk wrote:
What a surprise...

Deadly Record: Massey?s Mine In Montcoal Has Been Cited For Over 3,000
Violations, Over $2.2 Million In Fines

Massey Energy is actively contesting millions of dollars of fines for
safety violations at its West Virginia coal mine where disaster struck
yesterday afternoon. Twenty-five miners were killed and another four are
missing after a explosion took place at 3 pm Monday at Massey subsidiary
Performance Coal Co.?s Upper Big Branch Mine-South between the towns of
Montcoal and Naoma. It is ?the most people killed in a U.S. mine since
1984, when 27 died in a fire at Emery Mining Corp.?s mine in
Orangeville, Utah.? This deadly mine has been cited for over 3,000
violations by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), 638
since 2009:

Since 1995, Massey?s Upper Big Branch-South Mine has been cited for
3,007 safety violations. Massey is contesting 353 violations, and 127
are delinquent. [MSHA]

Massey is contesting over a third (34.7%) of the 516 safety
citations the Upper Big Branch-South Mine received in 2009, its greatest
count in the last 15 years. [MSHA]

In March 2010, 53 new safety citations were issued for Massey?s
Upper Big Branch-South Mine, including violations of its mine
ventilation plan. [MSHA]


Massey is now contesting $1,128,833 in fines for safety violations at
the deadly Upper Big Branch-South Mine, with a further $246,320 in
delinquent fines:

Over $2.2 million in fines have been assessed against Massey?s Upper
Big Branch-South Mine since 1995, with $791,327 paid. Massey is
contesting $1,128,833 in fines. Massey?s delinquent fines total
$246,320. [MSHA]

Massey is contesting $251,613 in fines for citations for Upper Big
Branch-South Mine?s ventilation plan. [MSHA]

Millions of Dollars in Safety Fines at Upper Big Branch Mine

Before yesterday?s tragic explosion, there have been three fatalities at
Massey?s Upper Big Branch-South Mine in the last twelve years ? one each
in 1998, 2001, and 2003. Massey?s corrupt CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
board member Don Blankenship, has previously told employees that it was
more important to ?run coal? than follow safety regulations.

In 2002, President George W. Bush ?named former Massey Energy official
Stanley Suboleski to the MSHA review commission that decides all legal
matters under the Federal Mine Act,? and cut 170 positions from MSHA.
Bush?s MSHA chief, Dick Stickler, was a former manager of Beth Energy
mines, which ?incurred injury rates double the national average.? On
October 21, 2009, the Senate confirmed President Barack Obama?s choice
to replace Stickler, Joe Main, a ?career union official and mine safety
expert.? Massey?s Suboleski is still an active review commissioner.



***

Mine work is dangerous, to be sure, but these operators have gone out of
their way to maximize profits at the cost of lives.



When you have that many violations, knowing full well what the
requirements and standards are, it means only two things. One, they
don't think Safety Inspectors are a threat and two, they don't give a
damn about their Workers safety or a few piddling millions in fines.