8-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of

The Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): December 11, 2007

MINE SAFETY APPLIANCES COMPANY

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Pennsylvania	1-15579	25-0668780
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)

121 Gamma Drive RIDC Industrial Park O’Hara Township Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	15238
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)	(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (412) 967-3000

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K is intended to satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (See General Instruction A.2):

¨ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act

¨ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act

¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act

¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Principal Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Principal Officers.

On December 11, 2007, the Board of Directors elected William M. Lambert as a director of the Company. It is expected that, as a director who is also an employee of the Company, Mr. Lambert will not serve on any of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee or the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, nor will he be paid any compensation solely for his service on the Board of Directors.

For further information, see the press release attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(c) Exhibits. The following exhibit is filed herewith:

Exhibit Number	Description
99.1	Press Release dated December 13, 2007, issued by Mine Safety Appliances Company.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

MINE SAFETY APPLIANCES COMPANY
(Registrant)
By	/s/ Douglas K. McClaine
	Douglas K. McClaine
	Vice President, General Counsel
	and Secretary

Date: December 13, 2007

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

FROM:	MSA (Mine Safety Appliances Company)
	Ticker: MSA (NYSE)
	Contact: Mark Deasy – (412) 967-3357

MSA Elects William M. Lambert to Board

PITTSBURGH, December 13, 2007 – The Board of Directors of MSA (NYSE: MSA) has elected William M. Lambert a director. Mr. Lambert currently serves as the company’s President and Chief Operating Officer, and will succeed John T. Ryan III as Chief Executive Officer upon Mr. Ryan’s retirement in May of 2008. Mr. Lambert, 49, joined MSA in 1981 as a design engineer.

“The Board of Directors and I are delighted to welcome Bill to the MSA Board,” said John T. Ryan III, MSA Chairman and CEO. “Bill has dedicated his entire career to MSA and the safety industry, and he has a true passion for understanding the needs and desires of our customers. The leadership and perspective he will bring to the Board, gained not only from his diverse experience at MSA, but also from his outside involvement with several highly respected safety organizations, will certainly strengthen the Board’s depth as we focus on enhancing MSA’s position as the global leader in sophisticated safety.”

Over his 26-year career with MSA, Mr. Lambert has made many meaningful contributions to the company’s success. As a design engineer, Mr. Lambert pioneered the development of a revolutionary life-saving system that allows firefighters to quickly replenish their breathing apparatus air-supplies in emergency situations. The patented device, known as the Quick-Fill^® System, remains an important MSA product to this day.

(more)

Since then Mr. Lambert has served the company in a variety of capacities, including Product Line Manager for air-line respirators, Nuclear Industry Specialist, Project Engineer for self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) development, Director of Marketing for safety products, Vice President/General Manager of the company’s former Safety Products Division and President, MSA North America.

Mr. Lambert received a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State University in 1980 and a master’s degree in Industrial Administration from Carnegie Mellon University in 1990.

A registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania, Mr. Lambert is Chairman of the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) of Arlington, Va., and also serves as secretary for the National Fire Protection Association’s technical correlating committee on Fire and Emergency Services Protective Clothing and Equipment. In addition to his professional affiliations, Mr. Lambert is a Director of the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera and the Southwestern Pennsylvania chapter of the American Red Cross.

About MSA

Established in 1914, MSA is a global leader in the development, manufacture and supply of sophisticated safety products that protect people’s health and safety. Sophisticated safety products typically integrate any combination of electronics, mechanical systems and advanced materials to protect users against hazardous or life-threatening situations. The company’s comprehensive line of products is used by workers around the world in the fire service, homeland security, construction and other industries, as well as the military. Principal products include self-contained breathing apparatus, gas masks, gas detection instruments, head protection, respirators and thermal imaging cameras. The company also provides a broad range of consumer and contractor safety products through retail channels. These products are marketed and sold under the MSA Safety Works brand. MSA has annual sales of approximately $950 million, manufacturing operations throughout the United States and Europe, and more than 40 international locations. Additional information is available on the company’s Web site at www.msanet.com.

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