Mine Safety In America
How The Upper Big Branch Blast Happened & Mapping The Loss
Thirteen months after the Upper Big Branch coal mine explosion, a group of investigators identified a likely cause. This interactive map illustrates the explosion scenario described by an independent investigative team led by former federal mine safety chief Davitt McAteer. The illustrations are not to scale.
![[Interactive:How The Upper Big Branch Blast Happened & Mapping The Loss]](http://media.npr.org/news/graphics/2011/01/mine-animation/frame1-d217a097571a7a7759fc141ffa23bb3d8dc548fa.gif?s=4)
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How The Blast Happened & Mapping The Loss
Notes
Locations on "Mapping the Loss" include Headgate 22, the area where Dean Jones and his crew were working when the blast hit April 5. The Longwall Face is the position of the 1,000-foot longwall mining machine. The space between the Longwall Face and the Longwall Stop is a coal seam waiting to be mined. The mined-out area is a portion of the coal seam that was already mined.
The Two-Way
Mine Disaster Probe Leads To Conspiracy Charges Against Former Executive()
November 28, 2012 David C. Hughart, former president of a Massey Energy subsidiary, is pleading guilty. The charges relate to a corporate culture that investigators say contributed to the nation's worst mine disaster in 40 years. Twenty nine miners died at one of Massey's West Virginia mines in a 2010 explosion.
The Two-Way
New Regulations Aimed At Black Lung Disease Appear To Be Stalled()
October 12, 2012 United Mine Workers officials suspect the Obama administration doesn't want to move forward on the new rules during the presidential campaign. The federal mine safety chief says the process takes time.
The Two-Way
Mine Safety Questions Linger, One Year After Takeover Of Massey Energy()
June 1, 2012 Citations issued by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) say managers at one mine failed to evacuate a section that was enveloped in thick smoke generated by a malfunctioning conveyor belt. The company disputes that finding.
The Two-Way
Former Massey Coal Mines Targeted In Massive Inspection Blitz()
May 24, 2012 Dozens of federal mine safety inspectors descended into 43 coal mines in three Appalachian states Wednesday. The mines are now owned by Alpha Natural Resources, which absorbed Massey Energy after a 2010 mine disaster in West Virginia.
The Two-Way
Two Years After W. Va. Mine Disaster: Grief, Anger And Questions Linger()
April 5, 2012 On April 5, 2010, an explosion killed 29 men at the Upper Big Branch mine. Today, families will remember those who died. Meanwhile, some are pressing a lawsuit against executives of the company that ran the mine. Its new owners are sealing the mine.
The Two-Way
West Virginia Mine Superintendent Pleads Guilty To Fraud()
March 29, 2012 Gary May is the highest-ranking Massey Energy official so far charged after an investigation into operations at the mine where a blast killed 29 men in April 2010.
The Two-Way
West Virginia Report On Mine Disaster Points To State's Shortcomings()
February 23, 2012 While a state review of the 2010 disaster that killed 29 coal miners isn't as pointed in assigning blame as some other reports, it does single out weaknesses in state laws that make it difficult to hold those responsible accountable.
The Two-Way
Massey Mine Boss Charged In Deadly Coal Mine Explosion()
February 22, 2012 Federal prosecutors in Charleston, W.Va., have filed the most serious criminal charges yet in the investigation of the April, 2010, coal mine explosion that left 29 mine workers dead.
Mine Disaster Report Signals Safety Agency Failure()
December 9, 2011 A final report on the April 2010 fatal explosion at Upper Big Branch coal mine not only blames Massey Energy for the disaster but exposes regulation failures within the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration.
The Two-Way
Criminal Charges Still Pending In W.Va. Mine Disaster()
December 7, 2011 After issuing a scathing report and reaching a $209 million settlement, officials are moving ahead on an internal probe of the agency that regulates mines and a federal criminal investigation of the disaster that killed 29 miners.
