Alabama Mine Operator Hit with $280K Penalty

A federal agency has slapped the operators of a Shelby County, Alabama coke mine with a $280,000 fine.

The penalty, announced Wednesday, was assessed against Shelby Mining Co. LLC after two miners were seriously burned when methane ignited.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration said the miners were burned Oct. 2, 2008 at Coke Mine No. 1 in Shelby County.

An MSHA official said the mine has a history of methane ignitions, with eight being reports since Oct. 2006.