Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health Chris Williamson moderated a live-streamed panel discussion on June 3 to discuss how the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s final rule for respirable crystalline silica will better protect the health of the nation’s miners.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Labor announced that its Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) completed impact inspections at 15 mines in 12 states in June 2024 and cited mine operators for 195 violations. The agency conducts impact inspections at mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement due to poor compliance history; previous accidents, injuries, and illnesses; and other compliance…
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By Willa B. Perlmutter Well, guys, I hate to say I told you so, but…well, I told you so. A few months back, I wrote about a whistleblower retaliation case that had just come out of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, and shared with you that I thought the Commission’s reasoning gave cause for alarm. (I know,…
Read MoreThe Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has issued a final rule to better protect the nation’s miners from health hazards associated with exposure to respirable crystalline silica. It lowers the permissible exposure limit to 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air for a full-shift exposure, calculated as an eight-hour, time-weighted average. If a miner’s exposure exceeds the limit, the…
Read MoreMSHA reported that on January 2, the driver of an over the road tractor-trailer haul truck died when the trailer tipped over onto the cab of the tractor. The driver was dumping part of the load of gravel from the trailer. Between 2018 and 2024, mine operators reported 14 injury accidents where over the road trucks tipped or rolled over…
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Mine operators are looking to technology to solve a rising demand for water resulting from changing regulations or in areas of water scarcity. Xylem director of sales and services Ken Albaugh details the quandaries and solutions. As the global economy grows hungry for the raw materials that help power electric vehicles, wind turbines, solar panels and other technologies, the mining…
Read MoreThe U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) said it issued more than 120 safety and health violations at nine mines in seven states as part of its September impact inspection initiative. Of the total 123 violations identified by MSHA in September, 17 were evaluated as significant and substantial (S&S). The agency completed inspections at mines in Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland,…
Read MoreAt the 2023 annual meeting of the Institute of Makers of Explosives (IME), IME President Clark Mica and the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s (MSHA) Administrator for Mine Safety and Health Enforcement Brian Goepfert announced the renewal of a collaborative relationship to continue fostering safe and healthy working conditions at the nation’s mining operations. The announcement, under the authority of…
Read MoreMSHA completed impact inspections at 16 mines in May, issuing 279 violations and one safeguard. MSHA conducts impact inspections at mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement due to poor compliance history; previous accidents, injuries and illnesses; and other compliance concerns. Among the violations, MSHA cited 83 significant and substantial violations. MSHA conducted inspections at mines in Colorado, Indiana,…
Read MoreThe U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration has issued an urgent reminder for mines and miners in regards to heat stress on the job, as well as ways to treat it when it does occur. “Mining in hot work areas during summer can cause serious health issues for miners,” the agency said. “Everyone needs to recognize the hazards of heat…
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