Excerpt Re: mine safety efforts in W.Va

"We must also continue our mine safety efforts. We now have more than 40,000 new self-contained self rescuers in our underground mines. About 225 emergency mine shelters are in place and more are on the way. We hope to have the rest in place by the second quarter of this year.

We are implementing advanced communication and tracking systems, so we never face the situation we did at Sago and Aracoma, not knowing where our trapped miners were located and putting our rescuers in danger. And, we continue to be vigilant in inspecting our mines to ensure they meet our more stringent safety standards. We have added more inspectors and safety instructors and we also increased our mine inspector salaries so we can retain qualified staff.

We’ve required foremen and fire bosses to undergo additional training and made it easier to shut down problem mines. We will continue to face challenges in this demanding industry, but let me assure you -- our mission is still to protect every miner so that he or she will return home safely to their families."

http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/3...