According to the Associated Press, A L Lee's LifeShelter was delivered to the mine earlier this week.
"The heart of the shelter itself is a series of oxygen tanks and air cylinders designed to allow enough air to last the number of miners that might be inside up to four days," A L Lee president Leonard Urtso told local news station WSAZ of the inflatable shelters, which will be placed at mines within 1000 feet of the operating face.
The shelter at ICG's Imperial mine is designed for up to 35 workers in the event of an emergency.
"The shelter is designed to be the second choice, and, yes, if the mine were blocked and they were unable to escape, I would certainly be comfortable in the shelter," Urtso told the news outlet.
"It won't be the most comfortable place in the world; it won't be a spa, but it will sustain you."
The LifeShelter is a product of both A L Lee and Pennsylvania firm ChemBio.
"There were a lot of issues we had to overcome to get to where we are today - it's been a real adventure," Urtso told local newspaper the Register-Herald.
He added that, as one of only five producers certified to build the shelters, filling the existing orders will keep A L Lee busy into 2009 at the rate of one to two per day.
About 50 of the shelters will be delivered across the state by the end of the year, according to State Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training director Ron Wooten.
