The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) completed impact inspections at 13 mines in nine states in February, identifying 207 violations with 58 being classified as significant and substantial and two as unwarrantable failures.
The agency completed the impact inspections at mines in Arizona, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington and West Virginia.
“February’s impact inspections uncovered hazardous conditions that put miners’ safety at risk needlessly,” said Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health Chris Williamson. “Impact inspections continue to be a valuable tool that MSHA uses to protect miners’ safety and health by identifying hazards, requiring corrective actions, and holding operators accountable for violations of the law.”
Due to its prior enforcement history, Gentry Mountain Mining’s Mine #3 in Emery, Utah, was inspected in February. MSHA inspectors identified and cited 14 violations at the coal mine, including six S&S violations with several hazardous conditions that posed a significant risk to the safety and health of miners. Specifically, MSHA inspectors found:
- Failure to maintain essential equipment properly, exposing miners to serious smoke and fire hazards.
- Failure to support roof and ribs adequately.
- Failure to record methane measurements, equipment defects and to block mobile equipment against hazardous motion, which directly violated a safeguard issued previously.
Since 2023, MSHA’s impact inspections have identified 3,134 violations, including 885 S&S and 59 unwarrantable failure findings.
Source: MSHA