Kentucky miner fined for worker’s death

A Kentucky coal company has been fined more than US$500,000 for violations stemming from a June 2003 explosion that killed a miner and injured two others.

The fines are the third-highest ever levied by the U.S. government against a coal operator or contractor.

Investigators cited Cody Mining last year for violations which they say contributed to the death. The violations include poor mining practices, failure to identify obvious hazards, and detonation of an excessive amount of explosives.

The company also was cited for altering the scene of the blast that killed Paul Blair, 21. The Paintsville man was killed in the blast at Cody Mining’s No. 1 mine in Floyd Cty. Robert Ratliff Jr., 29, also of Paintsville, was severely injured.

A third miner, Robert Delong, suffered less serious injuries. Cody Mining, which has been closed since the accident, has yet to pay the fines.

At the time of the accident, Delong set the explosive charges and took shelter behind a wall in a cross tunnel with Blair and the younger Ratliff. However, investigators determined that the tunnels were improperly cut and the miners were too close to the explosion. The amount of explosives used in the blast also exceeded legal limits.

The miners were hit by debris from the blown-out wall, killing Blair instantly.

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