West Va. worries about mine inspector shortage

West Virginia is looking for a few good mine inspectors, but the state’s safety chief doesn’t know where they’ll come from.

Ron Wooten, director of the state Office of Miners’ Health Safety and Training, told lawmakers he plans to hire 10 new mine safety inspectors in the coming fiscal year, in addition to the 85 currently employed by the state. But with competition from higher-paying jobs in private industry and the federal government, Wooten worries that’s easier said than done.

“They’re not the easiest folks to come by,” he said.

Wooten said the agency has been paying inspectors overtime simply to comply with the mandated inspection workload. State law requires the 177 underground mines to be inspected four times a year, and the more than 500 surface mines to be inspected twice annually.

Although West Virginia pays new inspectors more, after about five years federal salaries surpass state wages. At the very top of the pay scale, federal inspectors can earn roughly $30,000 more than their state counterparts, Wooten said.