Announcements

August 2014 Impact Inspections

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MSHA-logoThe U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration announced that federal inspectors issued 131 citations and 11 orders during special impact inspections conducted at 12 coal mines in August.

The monthly inspections, which began in force in April 2010 following the death of 29 miners in the explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine, involve mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement due to their poor compliance history or particular compliance concerns, including evidence of a mine’s failure to control respirable dust and operator tactics to prevent MSHA from finding violations. The August 2014 impact inspections included examples where MSHA found both.

Click here for: MSHA report with link to spreadsheet (pdf).

July 2014 Impact Inspections

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MSHA-logoThe U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration announced that federal inspectors issued 190 citations and eight orders during special impact inspections conducted at 15 coal mines and three metal and nonmetal mines in July.

The monthly inspections, which began in force in April 2010 following the explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine, involve mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement due to their poor compliance history or particular compliance concerns.

Click here for: MSHA report with link to spreadsheet (pdf).

June 2014 Impact Inspections

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MSHA-logoThe U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that federal inspectors issued 186 citations, 25 orders and one safeguard during special impact inspections conducted at 11 coal mines and two metal and nonmetal mines in June.

The monthly inspections, which began in force in April 2010 following the explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine, involve mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement due to their poor compliance history or particular compliance concerns.

Since April 2010, MSHA has conducted 780 impact inspections and issued 12,627 citations, 1,170 orders and 54 safeguards.

Click here for: MSHA report with spreadsheet (pdf).

April 2014 Impact Inspections

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MSHA-logoThe U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration announced that federal inspectors issued 147 citations and 15 orders during special impact inspections conducted at 12 coal mines and four metal and nonmetal mines in April.

The monthly inspections, which began in force in April 2010 following the explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine, involve mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement due to their poor compliance history or particular compliance concerns.

Click here for: MSHA report with spreadsheet (pdf).

March 2014 Impact Inspections

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MSHA-logoThe U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that federal inspectors issued 152 citations, 14 orders and one safeguard during special impact inspections conducted at 10 coal mines and three metal and nonmetal mines in March.

The monthly inspections, which began in force in April 2010 following the explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine, involve mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement due to their poor compliance history or particular compliance concerns.

Click here for: MSHA report with spreadsheet (pdf).

New Directive: Post-Accident Two-Way Communication

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c92179_mMSHA has issued a PPL is a general statement of policy that provides mine operators guidance in implementing: (1) post-accident wireless two-way communication between underground and surface personnel and (2) electronic tracking systems, both of which are required by the MINER Act. The two-way communication systems currently include infrastructure underground to provide untethered communications with miners.

Click here for: P14-V-01 (pdf).

February 2014 Impact Inspections

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MSHA-logoThe U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration announced that federal inspectors issued 210 citations, eight orders and one safeguard during special impact inspections conducted at nine coal mines and three metal and nonmetal mines in February. A safeguard is written when an unsafe haulage or hoisting hazard is observed and is an immediate risk to a miner.

Click here for: MSHA report with spreadsheet (pdf).

Ladder Safety Materials and More…

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LadderSafetyGuide

A ladder safety Powerpoint and PDF were released by MSHA at a February 5 Stakeholders Meeting.  The Powerpoint version includes 62 slides, most of which include extensive detail in the notes section that aren’t visible to the regular viewing audience when presented. MSHA intends that “it will serve as the basis for a series of inspector trainings on ladder safety in the coming months, and will ensure that MSHA inspectors, miners and mine operators are all working with the same information”.

Major areas covered include: Ladder construction and maintenance; requirements specific to fixed and portable ladders; underground ladders and travelways; and the differentiation between ladder standards and safe access standards. Photographs in the presentation clearly show proper and improper practices, and note which conditions would be cited in an inspection.

Get it along with other materials from the meeting here.