The record penalty imposed as a result of the 2010 Upper Big Branch Mine explosion that killed 29 men in West Virginia in 2010 is a significant step by the federal government, United Steelworkers (USW) International President Leo W. Gerard said today. But, Gerard added, it must be followed by holding Massey Energy officials criminally liable for their recklessness.
The settlement, which includes civil and criminal penalties, sends a message to corporations like Massey, now owned by Alpha Natural Resources, that they will pay a price when they disregard federal regulations and the sanctity of human life. In the year before the explosion, Upper Big Branch was cited by safety inspectors 515 times and ordered to shut down 52 times.
A government report on the explosion released in March said that Massey had engaged in a pattern of negligence and that the disaster could have been averted if Massey had observed even minimal safety standards ... more
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