No Need to 'Turn over Rocks,' Just Check the Violations Already on Record
Union-buster Massey Energy cited 2118 times for safety violations
by Tim Wheeler, April 7, 2010
Standing near the portal of the Massey Energy mine where at least 25 miners have died in a deadly explosion, Joe Main, assistant labor secretary for Mine Safety and Health, vowed to "turn over every rock" to get to the bottom of the cause of the April 5 tragedy.
That's a lot of rocks, Joe, when the tally-sheet of violations already in your hands totals over two thousand, just for this mine. Maybe you ought to leave the portal-standing to someone who matters to mine safety.
Possibly, you could get back to the office and become relevant.
Remember Stan Suboleski? A former Commissioner of yours, who now sits on Massey Energy's Board.
They keeping a chair warm for you, Joe?
Since 2005, Massey Energy as a whole, has been cited for 38,997 safety violations in its 35 underground and 12 mountaintop removal mines.
MSHA "proposed" fines totaling $43.5 million for those violations but the company contested the…