Inspectors find hundreds of violations in Kentucky coal mines

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Bill Estep | Lexington Herald-Leader

Federal inspectors wrote hundreds of citations to Kentucky coal mines during a series of special inspections from April to August, the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration announced Monday.

Some of the mines in Kentucky and other states targeted during the enforcement campaign had worse records on follow-up inspections, the agency said.

MSHA started the series of "impact inspections" after an April explosion killed 29 workers at Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch in West Virginia. "Clearly, there are still too many mine operators who have not learned the lessons of Upper Big Branch and continue to put miners' lives at risk," MSHA chief Joseph A. Main said in a news release. "They don't yet understand the value of safety in our nation's mines. That's got to change."

Read the full story at kentucky.com.

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