Initiatives

Mentoring
Our mentoring program for newly hired miners improves the understanding of safety guidelines for all members. Every new miner is supported and taught by a well-trained and experienced member. The mentoring program gives new miners another level of protection as they adapt to work in the mines.

Raymond A. Bradbury Safety Program
Massey's Raymond Safety Program is a popular incentive for our members to benefit from intensely focusing on workplace safety. The program awards points to members for working safely on an individual level, on the team level, and on the mine level. The points then may be redeemed for electronics, sporting goods, clothing, toys, and vacations.

In addition to the points incentive program, each year we present our Bradbury Safety Award to the safest mining operation in Massey. This highly coveted award recognizes excellence in safety among our members and promotes our commitment to being the industry’s safety leader.

Named after Raymond A. Bradbury, who coined the slogan "A safe mine is a productive mine," the award has been award presented annually since 1993.

Most recently, Massey's Aracoma Coal Company, located in Logan County, West Virginia, won the 2007 Bradbury Safety Award for working more than 574,000 hours without incurring a single lost time accident.

MINER Act Compliance
Congress passed the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act of 2006, amending the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 to improve the safety of mines and mining. The Act includes several regulations related to mine safety and rescue including communications systems and rescue equipment. We have made great throughout the company in evaluating and testing communications devices including those prescribed by the MINER Act. We are on track to be compliant with state and federal regulations regarding underground communications systems and underground personnel tracking devices.

We have also increased caches of self-rescuer devices and installing emergency shelters to help miners remain safe during evacuations.

At Massey, we take great pride in going above and beyond legal requirements to lead the way in health and safety in the mining industry of Central Appalachia. You can see Massey's commitment to safety in the design of the company's mining uniforms and reflective stripes. Our requirement for reflective safety materials is more stringent than government regulations, making it safer for all members in and around mining operations.

Learning From Accidents
Tragic accidents can occur in any workplace, including mines. At Massey, members work hard to prevent accidents and the company has developed many safety innovations. However, when accidents do occur, Massey teams and mines conduct extensive internal reviews to ensure they don't happen again. Following incidents, Massey reviews its rules and policies and then takes steps and makes necessary changes to protect members and prevent future incidents.