In January 2011, the Labor Department made an agreement with Massey that the Freedom mine's most senior managers must be directly involved in safety procedures and are personally responsible for violations. Shutdowns and fixes are to be immediate when unsafe conditions are spotted.<ref name=hb/>
===Safety violations at Randolph Mine===
On April 29, 2011, federal regulators evacuated coal miners from portions of Massey's [[Randolph Mine]] after finding two dozen safety violations that could have triggered fires or explosions. The surprise inspection resulted in 20 "withdrawal" orders and five citations for excessive [[coal dust]], weak water sprayers on mining equipment, illegal use of mining machines and failure to properly ventilate areas being mined. Eleven of the orders were issued for violations of the ventilation plan at the underground coal mine. According to assistant secretary of labor Joe Main: "The conduct and behavior exhibited when we caught the mine operator by surprise is nothing short of outrageous. The conditions observed at Randolph Mine place miners at serious risk to the threat of fire, explosion and black lung." Main also says some mining companies "still aren't getting it... despite the tragedy at Upper Big Branch last year."
Federal inspectors found some of the same safety violations at the Randolph mine during a surprise inspection a year ago.<ref>Howard Berkes, [http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/05/04/135972287/serious-safety-lapses-shut-down-parts-of-massey-coal-mine "Serious Safety Lapses Shut Down Parts Of Massey Coal Mine"] NPR, May 3, 2011.</ref>
==Citizen action and protest==