Corporate Culture Cited as Root Cause of Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster: 369 citations, $10.8 Million in Civil Penalties
From Department of Labor –
The 20-month investigation into the worst coal mining disaster in 40 years came to an end this week. In back-to-back meetings with family members and the public, Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Mine Safety and Health Administration Joseph Main, Solicitor of Labor M. Patricia Smith and MSHA Administrator for Coal Kevin Stricklin presented the agency’s investigative findings following the massive explosion that killed 29 men at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch mine last year. The exhaustive report identified corporate culture as the root cause of the tragedy. As a result, MSHA issued 369 citations and orders carrying $10.8 million in penalties, the largest fine in the agency’s history. The presentation followed the announcement of a non-prosecution agreement initiated by the U.S. Department of Justice, in which the mine’s new owner, Alpha Natural Resources Inc., agreed to pay nearly $210 million that includes instituting remedial safety measures at its mines and establishing a trust fund for improvements in mine safety and health, as well as paying outstanding civil penalties and restitution for the victims’ families. Secretary Solis, who addressed both groups, said, “The tragic explosion at Upper Big Branch left dozens of families without husbands, fathers, brothers and sons. I made a pledge to the families of those we lost, and the entire mining community, to conduct the most complete and thorough investigation possible in order to find the cause of this disaster. By issuing the largest fine in MSHA’s history, I hope to send a strong message that the safety of miners must come first.”