MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – Federal inspectors have finished their underground investigation at the Sago Mine where 12 men died after a January explosion and declared all but one area safe for production crews to re-enter next week.

Only the abandoned, sealed-off area where the blast is believed to have occurred will remain off limits when Ashland, Ky.-based International Coal Group Inc. resumes production, said Ray McKinney, an official with the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

McKinney said ICG plans to resume work with two shifts next week but had few other details. ICG, meanwhile, said no start date has been set.

“Coal production will not resume at the Sago Mine until our internal investigation of the accident is completed and we can share those findings with the families and coworkers of those lost in that tragic accident,” said President and CEO Ben Hatfield. “We hope to conclude those efforts in the very near future.”

ICG did not immediately comment on how quickly it plans to comply with new emergency rules that MSHA adopted to help miners escape future accidents.

Thirteen miners became trapped deep in the mine Jan. 2 after an explosion and were exposed to deadly carbon monoxide for more than 41 hours before searchers found them. By then, all but one had died.

McKinney declined to speculate on what caused the explosion but said investigators are confident the blast occurred in the abandoned and sealed area, near an active mine section known as Two Left.

MSHA and federal scientists with the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health are planning to test the 40-inch-thick, dense foam blocks that had been used to seal off the area, McKinney said.

Omega blocks, a lighter, cheaper alternative to concrete blocks, are widely used in U.S. coal mining.

Miner Ronald Grall, who was on a second crew that escaped the explosion, said the mine is in better shape now than before the explosion.

He and other workers who escaped have been underground for weeks to repair electrical systems and rebuild ventilation systems and concrete stoppings.

He said he hadn’t been bothered by returning to Sago “’till I went up to that place where it all occurred, and that gave me the creeps.”

Federal rules that went into effect Thursday require coal companies to comply within 30 days or at least show purchase orders for the equipment they’ll need to comply. Companies now must give each miner an extra air pack and, in some cases, store additional breathing devices along escape routes. Lifelines along the escape routes also must be clearly marked.

Workers will attend eight hours of retraining this weekend, said Grall, who has spent four decades in underground coal mines and about one year at Sago. He said he is confident the mine is safe.

“They’ve got it pretty well the way they want it. If they can just keep it that way, it will be good,” he said.

Investigator Richard Gates said his 10-person team examined the mine’s physical condition and equipment, took hundreds of rock dust samples, and conducted 46 interviews with company officials and employees so far.

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On the Net:

Mine Safety and Health Administration: http://www.msha.gov

International Coal Group: http://www.intlcoal.com

AP-ES-03-10-06 1952EST