Mine safety officials ‘beef up’ enforcement of ventilation rules

Among the most damning charges, a
number of Massey miners — both current and former — have said that
company managers habitually encouraged workers to tear down line
curtains, sheets of plastic designed to direct fresh air from vents
into underground work chambers.

“The ventilation system they had didn’t work,” Stanley “Goose” Stewart, a 15-year veteran of the UBB mine, said during a May field hearing
of the House Education and Labor Committee in Beckley, W.Va. “With no
air moving, it gave me the feeling that area was a ticking time bomb.”

Stewart, who was 300 feet underground when the blast occurred, was one of the few to get out alive.

Jeff Harris, a former Massey miner, told lawmakers a similar tale in April.

“When
we got to a section to mine coal, they’d tear down the ventilation
curtain,” he said. “The air was so thick you could hardly see in front
of you. When an MSHA inspector came to the section, we’d hang the
curtain, but as soon as the inspector left, the curtain came down
again.”

MSHA on Monday also issued a reminder to mine operators that they can’t alter their vent plans without the agency’s approval.

“Any
intentional change to the ventilation system that alters the main air
current or any split of the main air current in a manner that could
materially affect the safety and health of miners must be approved by
MSHA before it is implemented,” the agency said.

“This
announcement serves to remind all mine operators of their obligation to
comply with all federal regulations to ensure the health and safety of
their employees,” Main said.

“Mine inspectors,” he added, “are being instructed to beef up enforcement of ventilation standards.”

Massey,
which has denied all charges that it fostered a culture that
prioritized coal production above worker safety, is under a federal
investigation in relation to the UBB blast.