The Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) released its November impact inspection results, revealing that federal inspectors issued 189 citations and six orders during special impact inspections at 17 coal mines and six metal and nonmetal mines.
MSHA conducted its impact inspections at mines in Alabama, California, Illinois, Kentucky, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.
One of these inspections took place at St. Mary’s Cement-Dixon Mine in Lee County, Ill. MSHA reports that enforcement personnel issued 53 citations and five orders. Inspectors discovered nine guarding violations that exposed miners to moving machine parts and entanglement hazards; nine electrical violations that exposed miners to electrical shock hazards; and one violation for failure to conduct an adequate workplace examination.
These monthly inspections began in April 2010 as a way of increasing mine safety. They involve mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement because of poor compliance history or other compliance concerns. Since the inspections began, MSHA has conducted 1,064 inspections and issued 15,532 citations, 1,294 orders and 57 safeguards.
