MSHA: Inspections Are Reducing Mine Violations: MSHA says special inspections are reducing safety problems in US mines

Comment:  The federal govt was to blame for the death of the 29 miners and more.  MSHA let coal barons get away with too many violations and only enforce laws when people die.  Keep a watch on MSHA and make them to continue the tight controls on all mining!

The Associated Press
CHARLESTON, W.Va. December 21, 2010 (AP)

Conducting special inspections to crack down on mines with poor safety records appears to be working, the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration said Tuesday.

The agency said it issued 250 citations and orders during so-called impact inspections at 22 mines across the country during November. The number of orders and citations decreased from 380 issued to 19 mines in October.

"MSHA's impact inspection program is helping to reduce the number of mines that consider egregious violation records a cost of doing business," MSHA director Joe Main said.

MSHA begin conducting surprise inspections after 29 West Virginia miners died in an explosion at Massey Energy Co.'s Upper Big Branch coal mine April 5. Upper Big Branch is the deadliest U.S. coal mine disaster since 1970 and the subject of criminal and civil investigations.

The inspections have been carried out more like raids in some cases, with MSHA arriving after normal working hours and after taking control of telephones to prevent mine operators from warning employees that the agency had arrived.

MSHA focused on the nation's eastern coalfields in November; nine of the coal mines inspected were in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky and Alabama. The agency also inspected coal mines in Indiana and Colorado.

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