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West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin III called for a halt in coal production from underground mines on Friday so workers can review safety procedures, while ordering the immediate inspections of mines across the state.

The steps came in an executive order Manchin issued Wednesday in response to an explosion at a Massey Energy Co. (MEE) mine last week. The blast killed 29 workers, making it the nation's worst mine disaster in four decades.

Manchin said he expects mine operators to comply with the one day production halt, which doesn't apply to surface mines. Miners should report to work during the 24-hour shutdown to review safety procedures and take any steps necessary to comply with health and safety standards.

"We are asking for a stand down of one day," said Manchin, speaking at a press conference Wednesday.

At the same time, Manchin ordered state safety inspectors to inspect all underground mines immediately, starting with those cited for combustion-related violations over the last year. Inspectors will focus on mine ventilation, among other issues.

Manchin, during the press conference, said the cause of the blast is still unknown and expects state and federal investigations to take months.

The loss of a day's production in West Virginia could have an impact on the metallurgical coal market, because coal buyers are already struggling to find supply to replace tons that will be lost at Massey's Upper Big Branch mine. Underground and surface coal mines in West Virginia produce about 375,000 tons of coal a day, based on 2009 annual production of 136.7 million tons, according to the Energy Information Administration. That includes metallurgical coal used in steel production and thermal coal used at power plants.

After mining accidents at the Sago and Aracoma mines in 2006, which eventually killed a total of 14 miners, Manchin called for a voluntary safety review that he called a "Stand Down for Safety." But analysts said that in that case the production impact was minimal, because miners were able to reenter mines shortly after safety checks.

Mining companies including Consol Energy Inc. (CNX), Alpha Natural Resources Inc. (ANR) and Arch Coal Inc. (ACI), didn't have immediate comment on the executive order.

-By Mark Peters, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2457; mark.peters@dowjones.com

(Clare Ansberry and Kris Maher of the Wall Street Journal contributed to this report.)

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