Massey To Halt Production At Randolph Mine For 3 Days Training

Massey Energy Co. (MEE) said it will halt production for three days at one of its West Virginia mines after federal regulators this week called safety conditions there "nothing short of outrageous."

The stand-down comes after the Mine Safety and Health Administration on Tuesday issued 20 withdrawal orders and five citations to the Randolph Mine in Boone County, W.Va., and accused the company of failing to clean up its act after a fatal 2010 explosion at its Upper Big Branch mine.

The Randolph Mine is owned by Massey Energy and operated by Inman Energy.

Massey said it will idle production Friday, Monday and Tuesday while its miners take additional training courses in safety practices, ventilation procedures and mine plan requirements. The training follows an eight-hour seminar the agency required them to attend Monday.

Administration officials conducted the surprise inspection last week at the Randolph Mine and found mine workers engulfed in coal dust and combustible materials in the form of loose coal accumulated in working areas.

They also found that ventilation curtains, used to protect workers against black lung, weren't being used in some areas. On arriving at the mine, officials took control of phones at the mine office and guard shack to make sure mine workers didn't alert their colleagues underground.

President and Chief Executive Baxter Phillips said Massey was disappointed by the inspection results and ordered the stand-down to reinforce safety practices.

Shares were recently up 1.8% to $63.02 Friday, in line with the broader market.

 
   -By Drew FitzGerald, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2909; [e-mail]