Virginia Department of Labor & Industry v. Westmoreland Coal Co.

In this appeal, we must interpret Code § 45.1-81(a), a mine safety statute relating to communications that provides:

Telephone service or equivalent two-way communication facilities shall be provided between the top and each landing of main shafts and slopes. A telephone or equivalent two-way communication facility shall be located on the surface within five hundred feet of all main portals, and shall be installed either in a building or in a box-like structure designed to protect the facilities from damage by inclement weather. At least one of these communication facilities shall be at a…