The U.S. Department of Labor announced that its Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) completed impact inspections in May at 15 mines in 12 states, leading the agency to cite 300 violations and one safeguard. The agency began conducting impact inspections after an April 2010 explosion in West Virginia at the Upper Big Branch Mine killed 29 miners. MSHA’s impact inspections since 2023 have identified…
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Regulatory roulette: The Congressional Review Act comes around again
By Willa B. Perlmutter So, this column is going to be a little different from my usual observations about what MSHA is doing these days. Given the super-charged political climate and the fact that my Washington D.C. roots go very deep, I’ve been thinking a lot about what’s going to happen in November – and what it could mean for…
Read MoreMarch impact inspections recap
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) said it completed impact inspections at 14 mines in 11 states in March, issuing 199 violations and one safeguard. Of the March violations, 74 were evaluated as significant and substantial and four had an unwarrantable failure finding. The agency completed these inspections at mines in Alabama, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania,…
Read MoreMine manager pleads guilty to second-degree manslaughter
MSHA announced that an upstate New York court accepted a mine manager’s guilty plea to manslaughter in the second degree for the death of a mechanic at R J Valente Grafton Quarry in October 2022. Anthony Valente admitted to causing Darren Miller’s death by recklessly disregarding and overriding safety features of a crane he was operating to lower a replacement…
Read MoreMSHA reports seventh fatality of 2024
MSHA reported that on May 16, a worker at a surface mine died when the excavator he was operating traveled over a 200-ft. highwall. This is the seventh fatality reported in 2024, and the second classified as “Machinery.” MSHA recommends the following best practices to avoid this type of accident:
Read MoreU.S. Department of Labor broadcasts silica panel discussion
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 MoreAn alarming trend
In the very hours I write this column, the American mining community is marking Stand Down to Save Lives, an annual initiative called by federal regulators to bring attention to the need for eliminating safety and health hazards and mine sites. In its May 13 announcement of the May 22 effort MSHA noted that, at that time, 12 fewer miners…
Read MoreMSHA reports fifth fatality of 2024
MSHA reported that on May 8, a miner at U.S. Aggregates’ Flat Rock Plant, Shelby County, Ind., was electrocuted while unloading a roll of belt from a trailer. The miner was performing rigging duties when the crane boom contacted an overhead high-voltage powerline. This is the fifth fatality reported in 2024, and the first classified as “Electrical.” MSHA recommends the following best…
Read MoreMSHA April impact inspections yield 247 violations
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) completed impact inspections at 15 mines in 11 states in April, issuing 247 violations and two safeguards. Out of these violations, 67 were considered significant and substantial.
Read MoreMSHA chief calls on mining industry to remain vigilant
MSHA Assistant Secretary Chris Williamson has penned the following open letter to the mining community. Dear Members of the Mining Community:Last year, as the mining industry experienced a troubling increase in fatal accidents, I asked the mining community to join the Mine Safety and Health Administration in identifying and eliminating safety and health hazards that can cost miners their lives.…
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