MSHA plans to host a meeting of mine industry stakeholders in the wake of a dramatic increase in metal and nonmetal mining deaths. The meeting, to take place May 5 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET at MSHA’s headquarters in Arlington, Va., will address the causes of recent deaths, identify actions needed to prevent them and work to reverse the trend.
According to a press release, there have been nine deaths in the metal and nonmetal sector since the start of 2014. Plus, nine of the 22 metal and nonmetal deaths that occurred in 2013 happened in the fourth quarter.
“The recent news on the rise in mining fatalities is disturbing,” says Joe Main, MSHA’s assistant secretary of labor, in a press release. “We plan to engage all of our tools: enforcement, education and training, and technical support, to respond to this trend.
“It is clear that, at some of the operations involved, basic health and safety protections are not always in place,” Main adds. “MSHA will provide operators with specific information on the causes and particular issues surrounding each of these deaths, and we will discuss actions needed to prevent these types of fatalities in the future.”
