Murray Energy Corp., the company that co-owns the Utah coal mine where six workers are trapped, has incurred millions of dollars in fines over the last 18 months. While the safety record at Utah’s Crandall Canyon mine is good, Murray has 19 mines in five states that have not fared so well. Mining safety expert witness Bruce Dial, owner of Dial Mine Safety, said the $1.46 million in fines so far in 2007 indicate that the company is not taking the necessary steps to remedy problems. According to Forbes.com:
The fine suggested to Dial, who worked for MSHA for 24 years and now testifies in cases as an expert witness, that there was a large quantity of combustible material and a chance of a spark setting off an explosion.