Coal Age

JUL 2013

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alpha academy Alpha Natural Resources Dedicates Running Right Leadership Academy Making good on a commitment, a leading U.S. coal operator establishes a world class training facility for miners in West Virginia BY STEVE FISCOR, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF The main building for the Running Right Leadership Academy (above) also houses classrooms, labs and simulators. Industry leaders, dignitaries and proud miners from Alpha Natural Resources gathered during mid-June to commemorate the Running Right Leadership Academy. For some, the dedication was a milestone along a health and safety improvement path. For others, it was a chance to silence skeptics, who questioned Alpha's decisions. It was a bittersweet reunion for others. The last time many of these people gathered at the same time in West Virginia was a little more than three years ago at the Upper Big Branch (UBB) mine. The circumstances were grave. A lot of positive changes have taken place since that tragic period and the academy symbolizes that progress. About a year after the UBB mine disaster, Alpha Natural Resources acquired Massey Energy. As part of a settlement Alpha Natural Resources worked out with the Department of Justice on the UBB mine explosion, the company agreed to place $48 million in a health and safety research trust. The agreement also called for remedial safety measures that included building a state-of-the-art training 24 www.coalage.com facility with a full training curriculum to train Alpha miners, which would also be available to other mining companies. Located near Julian, W.Va., about 20 minutes south of Charleston on Route 119, the new 136,000 sq. ft training facility boasts much of the state-of-the-art technology available to today's underground coal miners. It took about a year to construct the physical buildings and the curriculum remains a work in progress. The new $23 million academy consists of a 96,000 simulated underground coal mine, five virtual simulator bays, several high-tech labs, and a theater and traditional classrooms. Describing the significance of the event, Kevin Crutchfield, president and CEO, Alpha Natural Resources, explained that this was an outward commitment to a pledge the company has made to Running Right. "It's a hands-on learning environment that we are going to use to train existing as well as new coal miners as we introduce them into the workforce," Crutchfield said. "To the best of our knowledge, there is no other training facility like this in the world." From the moment miners set foot in the reception area, it's obvious to them that this place is special. The decorators made creative use of objects normally found underground. The suspended ceiling consists of conventional roof bolts and mats. A wire basket from a centrifugal dryer serves as a coffee table. And, large electrical receptacles have been converted into drop lighting. Each of the classrooms are named for a coal seam, which can be found on a nameplate crafted from the control panel of a roof bolter. Photography from all of the mines lines the walls. The Alpha executives and the miners are enthused about the facility. "The bottom line is that the facility is going to put us in a position to prepare each of our workers to return home safe every night," said Paul Vining, president, Alpha Natural Resources. "The trainers are all very capable people that have worked underground most of their lives. They not only bring the skills, but they also have the heart and the commitment." Similar to most coal mining companies, Alpha has had to reorganize its business due to soft market conditions. "We have had some layoffs and people have asked: Why would you do this during such a difficult business environment?" Vining said. "This is a long-term commitment. We have 11,700 employees and 10,000 go to work every day in the mines. We want to make sure they are fully prepared to do their jobs." The trainers are still working the bugs out and developing the curricula, but the current plan calls for all the Alpha people to pass through this facility. At some point in the future, Alpha intends to open it to the industry and longer term it could become an international center of excellence. The Dedication of the Running Right Leadership Academy A formal ceremony was held at the academy on June 20. A crowd of more than 300 people gathered to see Alpha Natural July 2013

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