Lucky Friday officials missed stress check

SPOKANE (AP) — A federal inspection report indicates that Lucky Friday Mine officials failed to conduct the second of two daily monitoring checks on the day a violent rock burst injured seven miners.

The finding is one of several problems at the mine spelled out in documents from the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Federal inspectors ordered mine managers last November to perform twice-daily monitoring of stress building up in rocks in shafts in the underground mine.

An inspector wrote that Hecla Mining disregarded safety by not doing second of two checks on Dec. 14, when a rock burst led to a broken pelvis for one miner and injuries to six others.

Hecla is appealing the inspector's conclusion.