May 10,2000

MSA Shareholders Approve 3-for-1 Stock Split

PITTSBURGH, May 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The shareholders of Mine Safety Appliances Company (Amex: MSA) at their annual meeting today approved a 3-for-1 split of MSA's common stock, payable May 24, 2000 to shareholders of record on May 12, 2000.

Following the annual meeting, MSA's Board of Directors declared a second quarter dividend of 12 cents per share on common stock, payable June 10, 2000 to shareholders of record on May 26, 2000. This is equivalent to 36 cents per share on a pre-split basis and is an increase of 5.9 percent.

The Board also declared a dividend of 56-1/4 cents per share on preferred stock, payable June 1, 2000 to shareholders of record on May 19, 2000.
SOURCE Mine Safety Appliances Company
CONTACT: Mark Deasy of Ketchum, 412-456-3843, for Mine Safety Appliances, or James E. Herald, VP - Finance & CFO of Mine Safety Appliances, 412-967-3000, or vpfinance@msanet.com