BUCKHANNON, W.Va. -- A state investigator's report into the Sago Mine disaster called for sweeping reforms in safety standards and rescue operations, as well as an outright ban on the dense foam blocks used to seal off an abandoned section of the mine where the Jan. 2 explosion occurred.

More coverage Chart: Recommendations from the West Virginia report on the Sago Mine disaster Audio: PG reporter Dennis Roddy talks about the Sago Mine disaster report Related articles Relatives want swift action on mine safety U.S. doubles mine seal standard On the Net Read the full report on the West Virginia state Web site, in .pdf format

The 97-page report was released yesterday by J. Davitt McAteer, who was appointed by Gov. Joe Manchin III to head up the state's end of a joint state-federal investigation into the disaster that resulted in the deaths of 12 miners.

Some of the recommendations could require yet more changes in laws on the state and federal level.

Among the findings and recommendations:

Impregnable underground rescue shelters to be in place by January 2008. "[A]s Sago shows so clearly and tragically, barricaded miners cannot count on being rescued within the limited time frame when life is sustainable. An obvious solution is to require emergency refuge chambers or comparable chambers in underground mines," the report says.

Mr. McAteer's report describes a variety of chambers that might be employed, including those notched into the mine wall itself as well as hardened steel chambers commercially manufactured and placed inside mines.

He emphasized, however, that the type of chamber in a given mine will depend on conditions underground.

Standards of training for self-contained self-rescue breathing devices issued to miners should include practice with a working model, including breathing through the device. Currently, miners are only required to go through the motions of opening and donning such a device.

"We are sure ... that [the trapped Sago miners] had not been adequately trained in the use of their SCSRs," the report states, adding that it was possible the devices were damaged from long-term use, too.

Immediate installation of "lifelines" -- long ropes with directional cones threaded through them -- to guide miners to the surface.

"Hardened" telephone communications systems that can withstand fire and blasts so miners will not be cut off.

Research into new emergency measures to protect against explosions from lightning strikes at mines.

The report explores the cause of the disaster and lists a lightning strike reaching into the mine as the probable cause.

"More remains to be learned, however, about how lightning made its way into the sealed area where the methane ignition took place and, depending on how that question is answered, specific steps must then be taken to protect other underground mines and miners against the risk of lightning-related methane ignitions."

Some of the strongest language in the report centered on the use of Omega Block, the dense foam block used to seal off the abandoned section of the Sago Mine in which methane gas exploded, stranding the miners.

The report strongly criticizes the Omega Block seals, saying the seals "were not sufficiently explosion-proof and never should have been approved for that purpose. The catastrophic failure of the Omega Block seals clearly made the explosion far more lethal than would otherwise have been the case," the report states.

Mr. McAteer's report asserts that the federal tests on which Omega Block was first held to be reliable to withstand a blast of up to 20 pounds per square inch was flawed because "they did not test the ability of seals built of Omega blocks to survive a direct hit -- a force of 20 psi or higher -- from (directly behind) the seals."

Those tests, first conducted in 1992, then again in 2000, were done by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Pittsburgh, and set the seals parallel to a blast, rather than directly in front of it.

In remarks to reporters prior to the report's release, Mr. McAteer reiterated his call for Omega Block not to be used, and said the investigation has so far concluded that the seals at Sago were not constructed according to plans approved by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration, which based its approval on testing done by NIOSH.

Mr. McAteer's report calls for immediate reinforcement of any seals using "alternative" materials, notably the Omega Blocks that were used in the Sago mine.

"These were not explosion-proof. These Omega Blocks were pulverized. They were pulverized in 10 sets. Not one, not two, but 10 sets," Mr. McAteer said. "Had those seals held, these men would be alive."

International Coal Group, which owns the Sago Mine, issued a release yesterday saying it supports many of the report's recommendations. But the company disagreed with the assertion that the Sago seals were not properly constructed.

"ICG believes that the seals were built in compliance with the MSHA-approved plan using construction techniques that are consistent with industry practice," the company statement said.

"Furthermore, ICG believes the physical evidence demonstrates that the explosion forces at the seals significantly exceeded the 20 psi design strength requirement."

Omega Blocks are made by Burrell Mining Products of New Kensington. Company officials could not be reached yesterday for comment.

While miners are always told to first seek an escape route as the primary response to an underground emergency, Mr. McAteer said underground rescue shelters, stocked with supplies of breathable air, would have made a difference at Sago.

"If we can keep miners alive, trapped underground, we can get to them. If we can give them time -- if we can give them space and protect them for a period of time, we have the capacity to get to them. We didn't have that time in this instance," Mr. McAteer said.

The report described the chaos and confusion immediately following the blast and the heroic, though unsuccessful, first attempts to find the trapped miners.

While saying "there is no satisfactory answer" why it took rescuers 41 hours to reach the miners, Mr. McAteer's report noted concerns about sending rescuers into the toxic atmosphere, as well as worries they might trigger another explosion.

Because the Sago Mine did not produce a lot of methane gas, the report said an earlier rescue attempt may have been both safe and successful.

"But a mine rescue launched in such a way would have put the rescue teams at high risk, no question about it," the report stated.

One of the rescuers described first coming on the scene and seeing that at least one miner was still alive. "I was hollering back for help and I said, 'They're over here! They're over here and they're alive!"

That likely set off the chain of mistaken messages that the miners had survived, and the misinformation reached family members who had gathered above ground for news of their loved ones.

Their ensuing celebration turned to grief and anger a few hours later when it was learned that only one miner had survived.

Yesterday's news conference followed a private meeting with family members of the Sago miners here at West Virginia Wesleyan College. The meeting, in the lounge of a dormitory at West Virginia Wesleyan College here, marked another milestone in an accident that has become the subject of multiple investigations and an often-contentious three days of public hearings.

Arriving on crutches -- he is recovering from knee replacement surgery -- Mr. Manchin met with the families, received his copy of the report, then took the lectern to speak with a throng of reporters.

He called the report "part of a horrible journey we began six months ago" with the families of the dead miners.

"This gives us a road map and a guideline. It shares an awful lot with the families," Mr. Manchin said. "We'll continue on this journey with them as long as they want us to be with them."