Kentucky coal mine safety News

Kentucky House Passes Bill to Reduce Medically Trained Workers in Smaller Mines

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky House voted Monday to allow the state’s smallest coal mining operations to reduce the number of miners with emergency medical training assigned for each underground shift. In a state once known as a coal …

Kentucky Coal Company, Employee Sentenced for Falsifying Dust Samples, Lying

A coal dust examiner who worked for a Kentucky mining company has been sentenced to six months in prison for falsifying dust samples and lying to federal officials. Walter Perkins’ employer, Black Diamond Coal Company, was placed on probation for …

Kentucky Reduces Number of Coal Mine Safety Inspections to Cut Costs

Kathy Bartlett watched helplessly this spring as Kentucky lawmakers cut back on mine safety inspections and replaced them with coaching sessions on miners’ safety habits. She knows more than most what’s at stake. Bartlett’s son, Rickey Thorpe, was crushed to …

Investigators Conclude Crushed Kentucky Miner Not Wearing Safety Device

Federal investigators have concluded that a worker crushed to death by a machine at a Kentucky coal mine earlier this year wasn’t wearing an emergency shut-off device, and that his managers had not provided a way to securely attach it. …

West Virginia to Receive $524K in Grants for Mine Safety Courses

The West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training will receive more than $524,000 in federal funds for training courses aimed at reducing mining accidents, injuries and illnesses. The Mine Safety and Health Administration announced the grants July 6. …

Coal Miner Killed in Kentucky, 3rd Industry Fatality in 2016

A coal miner in western Kentucky died after being pinned against a wall by a mobile digging machine in an underground mine, the first coal mining death in the state this year and the third nationally. The death prompted a …

Kentucky Mining Company Fined for Clean Water Act Violations

Kentucky’s Energy and Environment Cabinet has agreed to levy a stiff fine against a coal mining company that acknowledged thousands of Clean Water Act violations, effectively barring the company from operating in Kentucky in the future. Frasure Creek Mining and …

Former Kentucky Mine Inspector Pleads Guilty to Bribery

A former state mine inspector has pleaded guilty in federal court to taking bribes from former Kentucky lawmaker Keith Hall. Kelly Shortridge agreed to a plea that was filed in court on Wednesday. It says Shortridge, who worked for the …

Third Worker This Year Dies at Kentucky Patriot Mine

A worker was killed Tuesday in a Kentucky mine owned by Patriot Coal Co., the company’s third such fatality this year. Eli Eldridge, 34, of Sturgis, Kentucky died after he was struck by a vehicle shuttling coal to the feeder …

Kentucky Coal Mines in Arrears on Safety Fines: Report

A published report says Kentucky coal operators owe more in delinquent fines to federal authorities for mine safety violations than any other state. The Courier-Journal said the finding is from an analysis it did of records from the federal Mine …