CHARLESTON, W.Va., Feb. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Arch Coal, Inc. today announced that Mingo Logan's Mountain Laurel complex has earned top honors for underground mine safety from the West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training.
The Eustace Frederick Milestones of Safety Award was presented to Mountain Laurel's Mountaineer II mine for the best safety performance among West Virginia underground coal mines in 2009.
In addition to Mountain Laurel earning the state's top safety award, its Cardinal Preparation Plant also earned a third consecutive West Virginia Mountaineer Guardian Award for working more than four years and 187,000 hours without a single reportable injury.
"We're very proud of the commitment the employees of Mountain Laurel have made to safety since the complex first opened in 2005," said John W. Eaves, Arch's president and chief operating officer. "Moreover, Cardinal's perfect safety record supports the ultimate goal of achieving A Perfect Zero companywide."
Mingo Logan Coal Company is a subsidiary of Arch Coal, Inc. Mingo Logan's Mountain Laurel complex and its Cardinal Prep Plant are located near Sharples, W.Va., with a total workforce of 325. Previously, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) honored the Cardinal plant with a Sentinels of Safety certificate for its ongoing perfect record.
St. Louis-based Arch Coal is the nation's second largest coal producer, with revenues of $2.6 billion in 2009. The company's core business is providing U.S. power generators with clean-burning, low-sulfur coal for electric generation. Through its national network of mines, Arch supplies the fuel for approximately 8 percent of the electricity generated in the United States. In 2009, Arch's lost-time incident rate of 0.71 was one-fourth the national coal industry average of 2.93 per 200,000 hours worked.
Arch Coal, Inc.
CONTACT: Kim Link, +1-314-994-2936, or John Snider, +1-304-357-5717,
both of Arch Coal, Inc.
Web Site: http://www.archcoal.com/
