Announcements

North Carolina Mine Safety and Health Conference

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The North Carolina Aggregates Association (NCAA) and the North Carolina Department of Labor (NCDOL) are partnering together to offer a two day North Carolina Mine Safety and Health Conference. The conference will be held at the Sheraton Atlantic Beach Oceanfront Hotel in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina on Thursday and Friday, March 29 – 30, 2012. A link to the Registration form is on the Safeminers.com Events Page. Click on the tab above. Registration must be made by February 28, 2012.

If you have any questions email me and I can hook you up with organizers there.

The Deadliest Month?

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MSHA has issued an alert for October based on numbers that show that for Metal/Nonmetal mines it is the deadliest month.

Of course it’s a good idea to pay extra attention to safety any month, any week, or any day, but this certainly indicates there are factors in the industry that could make October a special month to pay attention to safety. Download the printout below from MSHA to post or distribute to your miners.

Click here for: MSHA Alert (pdf).

Still Time to Register for NC Seminars

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There’s still time to register for the upcoming North Carolina Mine Safety and Health Seminars. You can fax your registration up until Friday the 27th. Then enjoy your long weekend and enjoy a day of improving your safety and health program with the start of Summer. It’s only $25 to attend and that includes lunch and break refreshments. Click on the EVENTS tab above for links to agendas and registration forms for either Raleigh or Morganton.

 

MSHA to kick off annual ‘Stay Out – Stay Alive’ public safety campaign

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ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration, along with Kansas City Chiefs running back Thomas Jones, will kick off its annual “Stay Out – Stay Alive” public safety campaign on Friday, May 6. Jones, the son of coal miners from southwestern Virginia, is the national spokesman for “Stay Out – Stay Alive,” which was established in 1999 to warn outdoor enthusiasts – especially children – about the dangers of exploring and playing on mine property. Each year, dozens of people are injured or killed in recreational accidents at active and abandoned mines around the country.

Jones will take part in a media conference call with MSHA Assistant Secretary Joseph A. Main and then visit a Crofton, Md., elementary school to address students.

Prior to these May 6 activities, Jones is scheduled to meet on May 5 with various members of Congress to discuss his role as campaign spokesman.

Click here for: Stay Out Stay Alive Web Page

MSHA announces results of March impact inspections

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MSHA announced that federal inspectors issued 134 citations, orders and safeguards during special impact inspections conducted at eight coal mines and eight metal/nonmetal mines last month. The coal mines were issued 55 citations, four orders and one safeguard; the metal/nonmetal operations were issued 69 citations and five orders.

Click here for: MSHA Press Release (pdf).

Joseph Main Addresses House of Representatives Subcommittee

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Head of MSHA, Joseph Main, addressed the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Workforce Protections to report on progress with investigation at Upper Big Branch since the explosion there last April and express his opinion of a need for further legislation.

You can read a PDF file of the statement or listen to a conference call after the testimony with members of the Press asking questions.

Click here for: Statement Given (pdf), Post Hearing Conference Call (wav).

MSHA Alert – Mine Deaths are NOT Inevitable

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ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration today issued a fatality alert to the mining community profiling the causes of and circumstances surrounding the 71 fatal accidents that occurred last year.

“2010 will be remembered for the dramatic explosion that killed 29 men at the Upper Big Branch Mine and for the deaths of 42 other miners across the nation whose lives ended in needless tragedy,” said Joseph A. Main, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health. “We can – and must – honor all of these miners by increasing our efforts to ensure safe and healthy workplaces for our nation’s miners.”

Click here for: MSHA Press Release (pdf).

Mining Health and Safety Scholarship

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The Joseph A. Holmes Safety Association scholarship program and encourage new generations to enter the mine safety and health profession. A financial award is given to deserving candidates to help defray their educational costs in a field related to mining health and safety.

This scholarship program is open to persons who are pursuing careers in the mining industry, safety and health-related fields.

Scholarship awards are available in the following categories:

  1. High school graduates (graduating seniors) enrolled in a college or university degree program.
  2. Undergraduate students currently enrolled in a college or university degree program.
  3. Graduates of a college or university pursuing a graduate degree.

Applicant must satisfy each of the following criteria:

  1. Provide a transcript of grades for the last 3 years of completed education (i.e. high school or college level)
  2. Complete the Financial Disclosure Information section to verify financial status and expenses of all persons living in the applicant’s household.
  3. Submit a 100-300 personal word essay on “Why I am pursuing a degree in mining or in a mine safety/health-related field.”
  4. Provide a list of Extracurricular Activities and/or a list of other Academic Achievements.
  5. Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident (green-card holder).
  6. Complete application and submit it with all required documents by March 31, 2011.

Click here for: Joseph A Holmes Safety Association Scholarship web page and application.

Partnership Produces Resources for Aggregate Miners and Contractors

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MSHA and the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association have teamed up to produce a web page on MSHA’s site that provides everything an aggregate miner or contractor needs to know… even if the disclaimer is needed to say it’s still your responsibility to be sure you are compliant in every way. It’s SAFETY PRO IN A BOX!

These are not new materials, but it’s certainly helpful to have them accessible from one page, something SafeMiner.com tries to do all the time. There are Web Education and Training Resources, Paperwork Requirements, and links to MSHA Handbooks, the Instructor Guide Series, Streaming Media Clips, and more!

But why am I telling you what’s there when you can check it out here!

Now about whether you can actually put a Safety Professional in a box or not without providing confined space training… Ha! SafeMiners.com will provide a permanent link to the site under our Resources Tab, so you can always find one in a box if yours is out wandering around.

Highwall Safety Alert

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Winter months can bring drastic changes to the stability of highwalls due to freezing and thawing. Water accumulates in crevices of rocks and then freezes. The ice acts as a wedge to expand the crevice opening. The ice thaws and the cycle begins again which in turn compromises the stability of the highwall that can result in highwall failure.

MSHA has issued a Safety Alert that can easily be printed out and posted or used in a toolbox talk.

Click here for: MSHA Safety Alert: Highwall Stability