The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Today's Front Page

May 24, 2010

UBB family members provide telling testimony

From Staff Reports

BECKLEY — The father of one of the miners who perished in the Upper Big Branch disaster in April says Massey Energy mines have a warning system in place to alert foremen underground that mine inspectors are on site.

Gary Quarles gave his testimony during a Monday hearing being conducted in Beckley by the U.S. House of Representatives Education and Labor committee.

Quarles said the warning for the underground bosses was rather simple, “There’s a man on property.”

He also indicated that unlike policy at union mines where he has been employed,  miners working for Massey were forbidden from talking to inspectors.

Steve Morgan, whose 21-year-old son Adam also died in the April 5 explosion, said when he encouraged his son to bring safety concerns up with his supervisor that the Massey boss told him if “he was scared” he should pursue another profession.

Morgan also testified that he had told his son to quit his job at the Montcoal mine two weeks before the disaster occurred.

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