WELLINGTON, Utah, Oct. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Arch Coal, Inc.
(NYSE: ACI) and the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health
Administration (MSHA) conducted a mock safety drill today at Dugout Canyon
mine in Carbon County, Utah.
The full-day rescue exercise involved more than 150 federal and state
officials, miners, local law enforcement, emergency responders and other
personnel. While the mock disaster focused on Canyon Fuel Company's Dugout
Canyon mine, employees from across Arch's national network of mines
participated in various capacities. A total of 10 mine rescue teams
participated, one state-run team from Price, and nine teams from across Arch's
national network of mines.
'Honing our rescue and teamwork skills in a mock emergency will help
prepare us for any situation,' says Gene DiClaudio, president of Arch Western
Bituminous Group, LLC. 'We wanted to make this rescue drill as realistic as
possible, including an all-hands-on-deck approach with full involvement of
national, state and local enforcement officials. The scenario is scripted
with plenty of challenges and twists that reinforce essential skills and is
resolved in one very long day.'
MSHA and the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining were on site to
participate in the voluntary exercise and to deploy new technologies,
including a mine rescue robot.
St. Louis-based Arch Coal is one of the nation's largest coal producers.
Arch's mining operations supply the fuel for approximately 6 percent of the
electricity generated in the United States. Arch's Canyon Fuel Company is
Utah's largest coal producer and a large, state employer with a workforce of
approximately 800.
In 2007, Arch's lost-time safety incident rate of 1.02 was three times
better than the industry average of 3.31 per 200,000 employee-hours. Arch
Coal has a total of 20 mine rescue teams positioned across its national
network of mines. Last year, the company's annual safety exercise was held at
Arch's Cumberland River Coal Company located in Central Appalachia.
SOURCE Arch Coal, Inc.
