The agency conducted impact inspections at four underground mines in three states where it suspected unsafe practices and conditions.

In all inspections, inspectors commandeered company phones to prevent communications between surface and underground crews so that advance warnings would not be made.

Officials said the inspections were performed during shifts when enforcement personnel would be least expected to be onsite.

Violations included failure to follow the mine’s approved ventilation plan, inadequate roof support, and the accumulation of combustible materials.

“It is appalling that our inspectors continue to find such egregious violations, especially with the explosion at Upper Big Branch still fresh in everyone’s minds,” MSHA assistant secretary of mine safety and health Joseph Main said.

“MSHA will continue to target mines with enhanced inspections where conditions merit such actions, particularly at mines that display a disregard to miners’ safety and health.”

The first violator mine was visited on July 30, when officials issued Wilcoal Mining’s Tri-State One mine in Claiborne County, Tennessee, with 27 citations and 11 orders.

Among the issues were a missing ventilation curtain in an active mining area and mining an area where the roof was unsupported.

“At the time of the inspection, Wilcoal was mining 105-foot-deep cuts without a line curtain, clearly in violation of their approved ventilation plan that requires line curtain to be installed and maintained within 20 feet of the face,” the agency said of the hazardous conditions.

“The operator had mined into an area without necessary roof support, putting miners further at risk from roof falls.”

MSHA also issued orders for the Wilcoal Mining operation over inadequate pre-shift and electrical examinations.

MSHA noted the operator did not comply with a wide range of standards and demonstrated overall non-compliance that is not new for the mine.

“Because of the extent of the violations and hazards coupled with the mine’s past history of poor compliance, MSHA issued a 107(a) order requiring the operator to submit an action plan as to how they would proceed to correct the hazards,” it said, noting that the owner has since presented that plan, made the corrective actions and resumed regular operation.

On August 13, federal officials issued 15 citations and five orders to K&D Mining’s No. 17 operation in Harlan County, Kentucky, where it made enforcement actions related to ventilation, roof control, combustible material accumulations, pre-shift exams and damaged belt rollers.

“The inspectors found the mine producing coal using unsafe equipment, including a conveyor belt with a bad bearing and an installed water hose to cool the shaft during operation,” the agency detailed.

“The tail-roller shaft had worn completely through the bearing housing and was beginning to cut the frame of the tailpiece. The guard also was removed, creating potential entanglement and amputation hazards.”

The K&D operation made corrections to all hazardous conditions found during the visit, including improperly installed ventilation controls, and resumed production August 16.

The same day as the No. 17 mine was visited, inspectors also arrived at the Maple Eagle No. 1 operation in Fayette County, West Virginia.

That inspection resulted in 21 citations and 10 orders, the latter for unwarrantable failures (aggravated conduct constituting more than ordinary negligence) that closed numerous areas of the mine.

Prior to the most recent inspection and dating back to last October, federal officials had issued a total of 336 citations, 21 orders and three safeguards to the operation, encompassing a wide range of MSHA standards.

Eight accidents, including four roof falls, two lost-time incidents and two accidents requiring medical treatment, were recorded in that same time period.

During the most recent inspection, inspectors found numerous violations such as improperly supported mine roof, failure to maintain a lifeline in safe condition, failure to maintain the primary escapeway, failure to follow the approved ventilation plan and coal dust accumulation.

“MSHA ordered closure of sections of the mine because of the mine operator’s failure to conduct adequate examinations. Failures such as these usually are indicators that an operator may not have an effective health and safety program at its mine,” officials noted.

Finally, ICG Knott County’s Classic mine in Kentucky received a surprise inspection on August 19 and 20, during which it received 43 citations and one order.

The citations issued were primarily for ventilation and roof control issues as well as combustible materials on electrical face equipment and along the conveyor belts.

Also cited were misaligned conveyor belts, examinations and maintenance of electrical equipment standards and noncompliance of safety violations for non-permissible personnel carriers.

“Inspectors also noted that the line curtain used to ventilate the work area measured 72 feet from the working face, where 44 feet is the approved distance in the ventilation plan,” it noted, adding that nonoperational dust controls were found along with air quantities violating the mine’s approved ventilation plans.

MSHA issued a 104(d)(2) order to Classic for failure to comply with the approved plan.

“This order closed the entire mine, including two continuous miner production units operating side by side and sharing the same loading point,” the agency said.

“The operator was required to revise the mine’s ventilation plan. MSHA will review those plan revisions and their implementation before production can resume at the mine.”