Investigations : NPR

Second Whistle-Blower Complaint For Massey Miner

August 11, 2010 • Ricky Lee Campbell of Beckley, W.Va., is a central figure in the federal criminal investigation that grew out of the Upper Big Branch mine explosion in April that left 29 mine workers dead.

Mine Disaster Answers Still Months Away

August 11, 2010 • Federal mine safety officials urged caution in the wake of conflicting reports about the investigation of the April coal mine disaster in West Virginia that left 29 mineworkers dead. Mine owner Massey Energy has tried to present its own theory about the tragedy.

Mine Disaster Answers Still Months Away

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Key Methane Monitors At W.Va. Mine Not Disabled

August 8, 2010 • Testing of two methane monitors from the Upper Big Branch coal mine in West Virginia has not detected any evidence of tampering, NPR has learned. The methane monitors were removed from the longwall mining machine believed to be a possible ignition source of the April 5 explosion that killed 29 mine workers.

Methane Monitors Recovered In Mine Blast Probe

August 5, 2010 • Investigators have recovered three key pieces of evidence in the explosion that killed 29 mine workers in West Virginia on April 5, NPR has learned. The evidence includes two safety devices that sound alarms and shut down mining machines when methane gas approaches explosive levels. Investigators want to know whether the devices were a factor in the blast.

Methane Monitors Recovered In Mine Blast Probe

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Massey Tells Families Mine Monitors Not Disabled

August 2, 2010 • In a private briefing for families of the victims, company executives also repeated claims that the massive blast that killed 29 mine workers was caused by natural forces.

Rush Of Gas Caused Mine Blast, Massey Theorizes

Don L. Blankenship, chairman and chief executive officer of Massey Energy Company (left), watches as protesters disrupt a luncheon at the National Press Club, where he spoke on Thursday. Wayne Huang/NPR hide caption

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Mine Safety In America

Rush Of Gas Caused Mine Blast, Massey Theorizes

July 22, 2010 • In twin assaults Thursday, both Massey Energy and CEO Don Blankenship suggested that an "overwhelming" rush of methane gas may have been the cause of a deadly April 5 explosion at Massey's Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia. Mine safety officials are skeptical.

Mine Citations Focus on Ventilation, Fire, Electricity

Mine ventilation issues are critical to running a safe coal mine. Here, a rescuer walks through a blocked tunnel in the Crandall Canyon Mine, northwest of Huntington, Utah, where six coal miners were trapped in 2007. Rick Browmer/AP hide caption

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Mine Safety In America

Mine Citations Focus on Ventilation, Fire, Electricity

July 21, 2010 • Citations for safety and health violations by operators of underground coal mines have increased by nearly a third since 2006. An NPR analysis of nearly 80,000 citations written last year found that an accumulation of combustible coal dust was the most frequently cited violation overall, accounting for more than one in 10 citations.

Mine Citations Focus on Ventilation, Fire, Electricity

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Underground Coal Mine Violation Rates, 2009

July 21, 2010 • A mine's violation rate is the citations written by federal inspectors per hour of time they spent inspecting that mine. Rates are displayed in red if they exceed last year's national rate of 0.18. The chart includes mines that produced at least 100,000 tons of coal in 2009. To sort the information, click on any of the chart's headers. Then use the arrow buttons on the bottom to scroll through the results.

Massey Miners: Disabling Monitors Was Common

Methane monitors are mounted on 30-foot-long continuous miners like this one, and other mining machines, to warn coal miners about dangerous levels of explosive methane gas. File photo hide caption

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Mine Safety In America

Massey Miners: Disabling Monitors Was Common

July 16, 2010 • NPR News has learned that a February incident in which a mining machine's methane detector was deliberately disabled was not an isolated incident at the Upper Big Branch coal mine in West Virginia. Miners who worked in the mine say the practice was relatively common and was justified with false descriptions of mining regulations. A methane explosion in April killed 29 workers.

Massey Miners: Disabling Monitors Was Common

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Massey Mine Workers Disabled Safety Monitor

Methane monitors are mounted on 30-foot-long continuous miners like this one because methane gas collects in pockets near the roofs of mines. File photo hide caption

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Mine Safety In America

Massey Mine Workers Disabled Safety Monitor

July 15, 2010 • Two months before the explosion in April killed 29 mine workers, three witnesses say an electrician was ordered to disable a methane detector, an NPR News investigation finds. Working without an operational methane monitor is dangerous and potentially illegal.

Massey Mine Workers Disabled Safety Monitor

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The Impact of War

Army Responds To NPR-ProPublica Brain Injury Investigation

June 9, 2010 • An NPR-ProPublica investigation found that the U.S. military often fails to diagnose mild traumatic brain injuries in troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The investigation also revealed that many soldiers receive little or no treatment for lingering health problems after suffering brain injuries.

Army Responds To NPR-ProPublica Brain Injury Investigation

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With Traumatic Brain Injuries, Soldiers Face Battle For Care

Sgt. Victor Medina suffered brain damage when an IED hit his truck in Iraq. Even after he was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, he found he had to fight to get adequate care. Blake Gordon/Aurora Photos hide caption

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With Traumatic Brain Injuries, Soldiers Face Battle For Care

June 9, 2010 • Even when traumatic brain injury is diagnosed in soldiers, many find they have to fight to get adequate treatment. Medical records show brain-injured soldiers at Fort Bliss have been told that their main problems are psychological, not related to blasts. Some soldiers have turned to clinics outside the military to get help.

With Traumatic Brain Injuries, Soldiers Face Battle For Care

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Military Still Failing To Diagnose, Treat Brain Injuries

Michelle Dyarman, a former major in the Army reserves, was involved in two roadside bomb attacks and a Humvee accident in Iraq in 2005 that left her with serious cognitive problems. David Gilkey/NPR hide caption

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Brain Wars: How The Military Is Failing Its Wounded

Military Still Failing To Diagnose, Treat Brain Injuries

June 8, 2010 • The military medical system is failing to diagnose tens of thousands of soldiers who suffer brain injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan, an investigation by NPR and ProPublica finds. Brain trauma can cause lasting physical and cognitive damage, but the military continues to overlook the injury, and many soldiers receive little or no treatment.

Military Still Failing To Diagnose, Treat Brain Injuries

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