The U.S. Department of Labor announced that the Mine Safety and Health Administration has renewed its longstanding alliance with the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association. The alliance ensures industry personnel will have access to information, guidance, and training resources that will protect the health and safety of miners. “MSHA’s industry alliances advance our goal of protecting the safety of…
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MSHA issues silica enforcement PIB
The Mine Safety and Health Administration issued a Program Information Bulletin (PIB) on April 9, stressing that it will continue to enforce existing silica enforcement outlines. In P26-01, acting Administrator for Mine Safety and Health Enforcement Timothy Watkins said the existing standards on respirable crystalline silica or quartz exposure in title 30 Code of Federal Regulations (30 CFR) parts 56,…
Read MoreMSHA reports sixth fatality of 2026
MSHA reported that on March 28, a contractor at Alpine Silica-San Antonio, owned by Pro Frac Holding Corp., died after falling approximately 37 feet through an unsecured roof panel of the shaker screen deck building while conducting roof repairs. This is the sixth fatality reported in 2026, and the first classified as Slip or Fall of Person. MSHA recommends the…
Read MoreFatality alert issued after contractor death
The Mine Safety and Health Administration recently released a fatality alert to all mines across the U.S. following a January 6 incident that killed a contract worker in California. In that incident, which occurred at the Lebec cement plant, a contractor was fatally struck by the motor and gearbox assembly while removing a baghouse slide gate. The facility is owned…
Read MoreMSHA issues fatality alert
The Mine Safety and Health Administration in February released initial findings from a November 2025 death at an underground coal operation. The fatality occurred on November 8 when a section foreman was inundated with water from an adjacent abandoned mine while working at the Rolling Thunder operation in West Virginia. Rolling Thunder is owned by Alpha Metallurgical Resources. The foreman…
Read MoreMSHA issues freeze-thaw alert
As the weather changes in many parts of the country, MSHA is warning of freeze-thaw hazards as these cycles rapidly change ground and workplace conditions. Water freezing in cracks expands and loosens material, increasing the risk of rock falls, highwall failures and unstable roadways. Ice, mud and poor traction make travel hazardous. Unrecognized freeze-thaw hazards have contributed to serious mining…
Read MoreAmmonia at mine sites
Ammonia is used on mine sites for chemical processing, refrigeration systems, emissions, and as a neutralizing agent. Exposure can occur due to equipment malfunctions, leaks, chemical mixing or improper handling. Ensure proper ventilation in mines where ammonia is naturally occurring. Ammonia has a sharp, pungent smell that can be detected at levels as low as 5 parts per million (ppm).…
Read MoreMSHA issues autotransformer safety alert
In February, the agency issued a safety warning and best practices for work around autotransformers as they pose a potential ground fault hazard. “It is hazardous when a ground fault within the autotransformer occurs and goes undetected by the ground fault protection circuit. Miners and electricians have reported being shocked when contacting shuttle cars,” MSHA noted in its alert. Shuttle…
Read MoreRio Tinto ups Kennecott’s solar power capacity
Rio Tinto has confirmed it recently energized a new 25-megawatt solar plant at the Kennecott copper operations complex in Utah, showcasing a circular critical-minerals supply chain in which tellurium produced at the site is used to manufacture the panels now powering it. Together with the 5-MW solar plant completed in 2023, Kennecott now has 30MW of solar capacity. The move…
Read MoreFortitude Gold commences operations at County Line
Colorado-based miner Fortitude Gold has brought operations at its County Line mine in Nevada online and has made its first shipment of mineralization to the company’s strategically located Isabella Pearl gold processing facility. The company’s County Line project, its second gold mine in Nevada, is comprised of two historic open pits, the County Line Pit and the East Pit. The…
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