Mine Owned by West Virginia Gov Faces Fines for Safety Violations

April 28, 2017

A West Virginia mining operation owned by Gov. Jim Justice faces fines of more than $10,000 for six safety violations following a workers’ fatal fall in February.

The West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training says 43-year-old Jason Kenneth Matthews of Bluefield, Virginia, fell from a ladder while attempting repairs inside the McDowell County coal preparation plant.

State inspectors cited failures to provide training records for Matthews and another miner and within 24 hours all accident details, plus failures to ensure employees wear safety harnesses, that all ladders are properly secured and that repairs aren’t performed with equipment running.

A company official told authorities conveyor belts needed to be moving to do the repair and Matthews didn’t use a fall-protection harness as he was trained.

Topics Virginia West Virginia

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