MSHA
NSSGA seeks input on inspector training
Can you think of a way MSHA inspectors could be better trained to do their jobs? Are you a mine operator who is willing to participate in the training process? The Technical Task Force for the MSHA-NSSGA Alliance committee wants… 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
Main discusses MSHA progress at NSSGA Convention
Joe Main, assistant secretary of labor for MSHA, updated NSSGA's board of directors on recent actions the agency has taken to improve miner safety and health during a March 5 meeting at the NSSGA Annual Convention in Las Vegas. According… Keep Reading
Coalition to support federal mineral science and information activities
Fifteen organizations united to form the Mineral Science and Information Coalition (MSIC) to advocate for reinvigorated minerals science and information functions in the federal government. According to the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME), federal programs in minerals science,… Keep Reading
MSHA produces ladder safety guide to improve work practices
MSHA launched a metal/nonmetal mining initiative and a corresponding "Ladder Safety Guide" to improve ladder safety standards. According to MSHA, the "Ladder Safety Guide" will serve as the basis for a series of inspector trainings on ladder safety in the… Keep Reading
MSHA releases December impact inspection results
MSHA says it issued 135 citations, 24 orders and one safeguard during special impact inspections conducted at 11 coal mines and two metal and nonmetal mines in December. The monthly inspections, which began in force in April 2010, involve mines… Keep Reading
Surge in fourth-quarter accidents increases mining fatality rate
Forty-two miners died in work-related accidents at U.S. mines in 2013, according to preliminary data from MSHA. The 42 represent an increase of six compared with the 36 miners who died in 2012. Twenty-two of the 42 fatalities were in… Keep Reading
Risk realization
People have a tendency to become complacent and overlook risky situations over time. Why do injuries and fatalities occur in the workplace? Or, perhaps a better question would be, why do the same injuries and fatalities continue to occur? When… Keep Reading
Three metal/nonmetal mines involved in impact inspections
MSHA conducted impact inspections at three metal/nonmetal mines and six coal mines in October, issuing 120 citations and 10 orders, according to a press release. Impact inspections were curtailed during part of October due to the government shutdown. In addition,… Keep Reading
