December 02, 2008

Arch Coal s Band Mill Mine named US\'s safest underground coalmine

Arch Coal Inc has announced that Cumberland River Coal Company's Band Mill No 2 mine achieved the nation's best safety record in 2006 among all large underground coalmines in the United States. The prestigious Sentinels of Safety award will be presented by Mine Safety and Health Administration and the National Mining Association to mine representatives at a banquet on September 19th 2007 in Washington DC.

This is the second year in a row that an Arch subsidiary has been honored with the highest national safety award in the large underground mining category. Canyon Fuel Company's Skyline mine near Scofield at Utah earned the 2005 Sentinels of Safety award on September 21st 2006.

Mr Steven F Leer chairman and CEO of Arch Coal's said "We are extremely proud of the dedicated employees at Band Mill mine for making safety a core value and exhibiting true leadership in the coal industry. The employees of Band Mill safely produced nearly 550,000 tons of clean burning, low sulfur coal last year to provide our nation with affordable and reliable electricity. We are proud of our industry leading safety record but we are not satisfied. This year Cumberland River and Arch's other subsidiaries are targeting at risk behaviors before accidents occur. We believe continuous improvements in mine safety are absolutely necessary, and engaging in a new way of thinking about working safely will help us achieve our ultimate goal of zero accidents and injuries."

The Sentinels of Safety awards program has been presented annually since 1925 to recognize extremely noteworthy accomplishments in the area of mine health and safety. The Sentinels of Safety awards are presented to US mine operations that have worked the most employee-hours without experiencing a lost time injury.