The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that federal inspectors issued 199 citations and 19 orders during special impact inspections conducted at 10 coal mines and six metal and nonmetal mines in November.
The monthly inspections, which began in force in April 2010, involve mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement due to their poor compliance history or particular compliance concerns.
Click here for: MSHA link to spreadsheet (pdf).
December 6th is #NationalMinersDay designated by Congress in 2009 as a day to recognize and honor the contributions and sacrifices of our nation’s miners – past, present and future.
Did you know that the U.S. has nearly 375,000 miners working in almost 14,000 mines? Our nation’s miners extract nearly 100 types of minerals from the ground, which are used to heat our homes, carry electricity, build bridges, keep highways clear in winter, and provide the raw materials for hundreds of products – from computers to cosmetics to cooking utensils.
Join us in thanking our nation’s miners for their extraordinary contributions and sacrifices.
➨ Learn more: www.msha.gov/minersday
On October 10, 2014, a 66-year-old contract truck driver with approximately 11 years of experience was killed at a cement operation. The driver was inside a loading rack closing the hatch on top of a bulk tanker truck. When the victim raised the rack to access the hatch, he fell between the rack and rounded side of the truck and then fell to the ground.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf)
On September 26, 2014, a 55-year-old maintenance mechanic with approximately 2 years of experience was killed on the surface of an underground salt mine. The victim was performing maintenance on a forklift in a mill building when the forklift moved forward, pinning him against a wooden support pole.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf)
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration announced that federal inspectors issued 127 citations and six orders during special impact inspections conducted at 12 coal mines in October.
The monthly inspections, which began in force in April 2010 after 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 835 impact inspections and issued 13,267 citations, 1,200 orders and 55 safeguards.
Click here for: MSHA link to spreadsheet (pdf).
On Monday, November 10, 2014, at approximately 9:35 p.m., a 49-year-old section foreman with 27 years of mining experience was killed when he was struck by a large rock that measured 5 feet by 3 feet by 13 inches thick. The victim was operating the roof bolting machine on the 2 North section in the No. 2 entry at the time of the accident. The rock fell inby the last full row of permanent roof supports and between the automated temporary roof support (ATRS) and the left rib.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf)
On Saturday, October 18, 2014, at approximately 10:05 p.m., a contractor truck driver with over 5 years of truck driving experience was killed while operating a rock truck. The driver was removing top soil ahead of the East Elk Pit when he drove off a highwall and fell approximately 240 feet.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf)
On August 25, 2014, a 54-year-old truck driver with 1 year of experience was killed at a limestone mine. The victim went to a storage building to get some wooden planks. He climbed a stack of loaded pallets to get to the planks that were near the rafters and fell approximately 8 feet to the ground below. The next day two coworkers arrived at the mine and found the victim at approximately 6:05 a.m.
Best Practices
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf)
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration announced that federal inspectors issued 192 citations, five orders and one safeguard during special impact inspections conducted at nine coal and four metal and nonmetal mines in September.
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.
Click here for: MSHA link to spreadsheet (pdf).
On August 2, 2014, a 53-year-old plant operator with 25 years of experience was killed at a sand and gravel mine. The victim was working under the raised bed of a dump truck when the wooden block supporting the load suddenly failed, allowing the bed to fall and pin him. The victim was working alone and was not found until 10 a.m. on August 3, 2014.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf)