I can't over-emphasize how important pre-shift examinations are. It is a key provision put in the act to protect miners' safety.

It's the next enforcement step and it's never used.

With the price of coal so high, you have operators coming out of the woodwork, trying to get into any seam of coal they can to make a quick buck, opening up a lot of little dog holes.

You can't expect miners to come in and testify about unsafe conditions in the mine when you have their employers across the table from them.

I've been criticizing them for 20 years for doing it that way. It's not good government.

Basically, if you see 73 accumulation violations, that's a sign of a mine operator who is not too concerned with safety. It's troubling if you see that many.