Harlan County Mine Among 8 Flagged by MSHA

The federal government has flagged a Kentucky coal mine for numerous violations. The Harlan County mine was placed on a ‘potential pattern of violations status,’ which means the Mine Safety and Health Administration has found a number of serious problems at a mine. If the mine operator doesn’t rectify the problems, the mine can be shut down when serious violations are discovered.Manalapan Mining Company’s RB Number 12 mine in Pathfork was the only Kentucky mine among eight placed on the status. The other mines recently flagged are in West Virginia, Illinois, Nevada and Virginia.MSHA has proposed a rule that does away with the potential pattern of violations status, which mine safety advocates say is contrary to what the law intended. The rule should be finalized over the next few months.