MSHA reports on 14th, 15th, 16th fatalities

MSHA recently released the preliminary findings from the industry’s 14th-16th fatalities of 2022. On August 11, the agency said that, on July 21, a miner at Giant Cement Co., Dorchester County, S.C., received fatal injuries when his right arm became entangled in an auger (screw) conveyor. It was the 16th fatality reported in 2022, and the sixth classified under Machinery. …

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U.S. Department of Labor awards funds for mine safety awareness

The U.S. Department of Labor announced that it has awarded $985,284 in grants to support the development and delivery of education and training by 10 organizations that will help identify, avoid and prevent unsafe working conditions in and around the nation’s mines. Supported by the Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety grant program, recipients will create training materials, promote and conduct mine safety training or…

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Birmingham chosen for Southeast Mine Safety and Health Conference

Hundreds expected to convene in Birmingham in November for short courses, tech talks and more. By Donna Schmidt A southern setting has been selected for the annual Southeast Mine Safety and Health Conference, scheduled to be held November 1-4 at the Ross Bridge Hotel and Convention Center in nearby Hoover, Ala. Organizers from the nonprofit Southeast Mine Safety and Health…

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MSHA Reports Seventh Machinery Death of 2022

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has reported that on August 4, a mine manager at Wooten Sand & Gravel Inc., Miller County, Ark. died while performing maintenance on a bulldozer.   While kneeling on the bulldozer’s track, the victim accidentally engaged the lever that put the bulldozer in reverse. The bulldozer track moved the victim to the rear…

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MSHA reports 21st fatality

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reported that on September 9, a dredge operator at Barry Industrial Sand Inc., Orange County, Texas, drowned while working in a dredge pond.  This is the 21st fatality reported in 2022, and the second classified as “Drowning.” MSHA recommends the following best practices to avoid this type of accident: Make sure a competent…

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New app will provide miners with health, safety, miners’ rights information

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration launched an app for use on iPhone and Android devices that will help get timely information directly to miners and members of the mining community. The app allows miners to easily use the tool at mine sites and outside of working hours to search for best safety and health practices…

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The Sixth Circuit and Advance Notice – The Cavalry Never Showed Up After All

By Willa B. Perlmutter In my very first column for this publication, I wrote about the KenAmerican Resources case that was then pending in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, based in Cincinnati. At the time, I wrote that I hoped the Sixth Circuit would take the opportunity to provide much-needed guidance on what exactly “advance notice”…

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