Editors’ Blog
MSHA explores factors involved in latest fatal accidents
MSHA held a summit for training professionals May 22 to discuss causes of the 20 metal and nonmetal mining deaths that have occurred since October 2013. MSHA determined several causes were at the root of the accidents, including failure to… Keep Reading
Luxury hotel planned for abandoned pit
An abandoned pit in China is getting new life as a five-star hotel. The 330-ft.-deep pit, which was operational starting in the 1950s yet abandoned in 2000, according to CNN, will contain a hotel that extends downward 16 stories. Three… Keep Reading
Penny for their thoughts
An Indiana newspaper reports that Rogers Group has temporarily withdrawn its bid to operate a quarry near Lafayette, as the company attempts to address the community’s concerns. The story here is an all-too-common one: Rogers Group faces reluctance on the… Keep Reading
How did Cat do that?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLhOOiPGrq4 Have you seen the video of the super-size Jenga game played with Caterpillar’s equipment? The company created the video to promote its Built For It Trials series. Nearly two million people have checked it out as of this writing.… Keep Reading
Labor pains
According to the U.S. Geological Survey and the Mine Safety and Health Administration, there has been about a 5 percent drop in aggregate-industry employment since four years ago. That number is due in part to more streamlined processes and the… Keep Reading
Notes about highway funding
In its Q1-2014 Construction Outlook Report, FMI forecasts a modest 1 percent increase in highway and street construction for 2014 to $82.2 billion. The company says, "Public-private-partnerships still hold out hope for projects that can generate revenue from usage fees,… Keep Reading
A big show where there’s plenty to do
When colleagues ask what the 2014 ConExpo-Con/Agg show was like, how do you answer? I've been telling my coworkers that it's by far the largest trade show I've ever attended (and with more than 20 years experience as an editor,… Keep Reading
MSHA: Spring the time to remind employees about safety
Fifty-eight hundred of the 12,000 metal and non-metal mines MSHA oversees close in the winter when snow and freezing temperatures make operations difficult or impossible. Most of these intermittent mines are crushed stone operations, the agency says, but the operations… Keep Reading
A fix in the works?
An article this week from NBC News cites the highway-funding drought, and the daily reminders of it – potholes. "Every spring thaw brings potholes," notes the story. "This year, one of the harshest winters in memory is turning America's highways… Keep Reading
