Alpha Resources officials were happy with the outcome of the agreement dating to Q4 2011. “We are pleased Alpha has met its obligations under the NPA,” said Executive Vice President Vaughn Groves. “Throughout we remained committed to resolving Massey’s liabilities, while implementing measures that will make our industry safer into the future.”
Under the NPA, said company officials, Alpha implemented a series of measures, including a state-of-the-art leadership academy for more than 10,000 employees, and a foundation for safety improvement and health through cutting-edge research. The $48 million foundation, they added, recently funded its first 16 research projects.
Other initiatives include working with the Matrix Design Group to create an award-winning atmospheric monitoring sensor to detect of potentially harmful ventilation developments. Sensors, added Alpha, are now installed at all underground working sections.
In addition, Alpha reduced reportable incidents across the organization by 31%, while 2013 witnessed the lowest injury rate in company history. Other endeavors include restitution and resolution for families of deceased miners and allowing employees a greater overall voice. To date, meanwhile, thousands have participated in performance group and employee involvement group meetings.
During the two-year NPA span, said company officials, Alpha conducted one of the most significant, training missions in the history of the U.S. coal industry, delivering 57 years of collective training hours to miners and support staff. Since the agreement signage, moreover, more than 1.7 million safety observations have been submitted companywide.
Alpha Natural Resources Inc. is one of the largest diversified coal suppliers in the U.S. With affiliate operations in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Wyoming, Alpha is a met and thermal coal supplier for customers on five continents.
