ST. LOUIS, April 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Arch Coal Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Steven F. Leer today announced his full support of CORESafety, a comprehensive system that encourages continuous safety and health improvement in the U.S. mining industry.

A CEO-level task force of the National Mining Association's Board of Directors led the effort.  The task force relied on a working group of mining safety professionals from NMA's membership, including Arch Coal.  Currently chaired by Leer, the CEO task force and the safety professionals collaborated for nearly two years to develop CORESafety.

"CORESafety is adaptable to all mining operations," said Leer.  "By following a comprehensive safety philosophy, we believe it is possible for the U.S. mining industry to eliminate fatalities and reduce the rate of mine-related injuries by 50 percent in the next five years."

The rapid adoption of CORESafety demonstrates the determination and commitment of U.S. mining leaders to remain a model for the world.  The CORESafety management system is available at www.coresafety.org.

"We believe proactive, upstream safety measures help to create a deep-rooted culture of safety first," said Leer.  "CORESafety includes proactive reviews that identify at-risk behaviors before incidents occur, which we believe will help to move the entire industry well beyond regulatory compliance."

Arch is a proven safety leader among its peer group and continues to make improvements year after year.  In 2011, Arch led the U.S. coal industry in safety performance and environmental compliance among large, diversified producers.  According to Leer, Arch will continue to share its experiences with other mining operations.

U.S.-based Arch Coal, Inc. (NYSE: ACI) is a top five global coal producer and marketer, with 155 million tons of coal sold in 2011.  Arch is the most diversified American coal company, with more than 20 active mining complexes across every major U.S. coal supply basin.  Its core business is supplying cleaner-burning, low-sulfur thermal and metallurgical coal to power generators and steel manufacturers on five continents.