Nearly One Year After Upper Big Branch, Massey Cited for Safety Violations

Massey Energy has received more than 80 citations for safety violations from federal investigators. The citations account for roughly half of those issued following special inspections in five states last month.As the Wall Street Journal reports, Massey not only bore the brunt of the inspections, the company inspired them, too. The agency [MSHA] started the so-called impact inspections after 29 miners were killed in an explosion at Massey's Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia on April 5, 2010. Four Massey mines in West Virginia, Virginia and Kentucky accounted for more than half the violations issued nationally during the impact inspections. The MSHA also cited mines in Alabama and Pennsylvania. A spokesman for Massey, of Richmond, Va., said the company is working to improve safety. Massey is being bought by Alpha Natural Resources Inc.