The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that federal inspectors issued 255 citations, 13 orders and two safeguards during special impact inspections conducted at 11 coal mines and four metal/nonmetal mines in August 2012.
Click here for: MSHA report with spreadsheet (pdf).
ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration today released a midyear summary of mining deaths across the country. During the first half of 2012, 19 miners died in work-related accidents at the nation’s mines.
Click here to check the pdf file out.
June is National Safety Month and the National Safety Council has posted some great materials to protect you from falls at home or work. Click here to check them out.
January 18, 2012 Allentown, PA
January 19, 2012 Center Valley, PA
Supervisors, trainers, and safety professionals mark your calendars now, and plan to attend the 16thProfessional Development Mine Safety Seminar for Supervisors. This well-known seminar and workshop will be held in Allentown, PA at the Holiday Inn Conference Center—Lehigh Valley, and Eastern Industries, Inc., Center Valley, PA. Organized by the Penn State Miner Training Program, MSHA, PA Bureau of Mine Safety, and industry, the program is tailored for professional development of supervisors who are interested in learning about regulatory issues, practical approaches, tools, and technology, to enhance safety at their operation.
This year’s seminar and workshop program covers a variety of topics including the Chilean mine rescue, trends in mine safety enforcement, worker rights, compliance strategies, safety motivation, fall protection during equipment maintenance, fall rescue procedures, fire extinguisher training, tire safety and oxy-fuel/welding safety.
For a brochure and registration information, please visit the seminar website.
Seminar website: http://www.eme.psu.edu/
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration announced that federal inspectors issued 374 citations, orders and safeguards during special impact inspections conducted at 18 coal mines and two metal/nonmetal mines in September 2011. The coal mines were issued 292 citations, 28 orders and one safeguard, while the metal/nonmetal operations were issued 52 citations and one order.
Special impact inspections, which began in force in April 2010 following the explosion at Upper Big Branch Mine, involve mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement due to their poor compliance history or particular compliance concerns, including high numbers of violations or closure orders; indications of operator tactics, such as advance notification of inspections that prevent inspectors from observing violations; frequent hazard complaints or hotline calls; plan compliance issues; inadequate workplace examinations; a high number of accidents, injuries or illnesses; fatalities; and adverse conditions, such as increased methane liberation, faulty roof conditions and inadequate ventilation.
Click here for: MSHA Press Release (pdf), Results Spreadsheet (pdf)
Yes it’s that time of the year again as we look forward in excitement to winter and in dread to the diseases of the season. I’m headed to the doctor today to get my annual flu shot. Are you? OSHA has some materials available to help you prevent OR have in place should a pandemic occur.
Check them out here. Workplace Safety and the Flu (web); Pandemic Influenza (web).
You can also find out about the flu, find informational videos to use, and even locate a source locally for flu shots at flu.gov.
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).
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 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).
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).