Tag Archives: MSHA

Mining Pain Points and Solutions: How Technology Makes the Difference

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Approximately 230,000 miners work across 11,500 metal/nonmetal mines in the U.S., while 64,000 work in the nation’s 1,000 coal mines. The mining sector employs 3.7 million+ workers worldwide.

In 2020, mining-related deaths declined and the mining industry achieved its highest compliance with U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration health standards, which protect the long-term health and safety of miners. The year 2020 saw all-time-low average concentrations of respirable dust and respirable quartz in underground coal mines, as well as exposure to dust and quartz for miners at highest risk of overexposure to respirable dust.

That said, the agency issued thousands of citations in 2020 for violations of the Mine Safety and Health Act, and the fines for all of those citations add up to millions of dollars. And despite the good news of fewer fatal injuries and fewer citations, miners continue to die and be seriously injured at work.

Our … Read more...

FY 2022 U.S. Federal Budget Includes $140 Million Additional Funding for MSHA and OSHA Budgets

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U.S. President Joe Biden has proposed key investments to strengthen the unemployment insurance system, expand pathways to good-paying jobs, safeguard workers’ health through increases in the MSHA and OSHA budgets and create greater financial security for workers.

The Biden-Harris administration submitted the president’s budget for Fiscal Year 2022 to Congress.

“The president’s budget renews the Department of Labor’s commitment to help America’s workers, particularly those from disadvantaged communities, find pathways to high-quality, good-paying jobs,” said Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh. “The president’s initiatives also restore the department’s capacity to protect the health, safety, rights and financial security of all workers. Additionally, the American Jobs Plan’s investments further enhance the department’s ability to meet its mission by creating pathways to millions of high-quality jobs and rebuilding our country’s infrastructure.”

The budget includes the two historic plans the president has already put forward – the American Jobs Plan and the American Families … Read more...

MSHA Update: June Impact Inspection Results and More

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Mining

The summer is often a slow time for industry updates. Not so for the United States Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) this year. From the results of their June impact inspections and the legacy of the Upper Big Branch explosion, to the discussions around a new proposed rule and their upcoming 40th anniversary, MSHA’s been keeping busy. Here are the highlights.

The Results Are In: June Impact Inspections

MSHA announced this week that it issued 114 citations during the month of June, as part of a series of special impact inspections conducted at 11 coal mines and six metal and nonmetal mines.

Impact inspections are specifically designed to target mines with a poor compliance history or compliance concerns. These types of inspections began back in April of 2010 following an overhaul of regulations designed to more closely examine mines with chronic violation records.

This overhaul was prompted by the … Read more...

New MSHA Mine Safety Rule, Nurses Tackle Workplace Violence and More!

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On this week’s edition of EHS This Week we’ve got the week’s top stories in environment, health and safety news:

  • $2.19 Million Federal Grant Goes to Pennsylvania for Pipeline Safety
  • MSHA Proposes New Mine Safety Rule
  • Explosion at Alberta Oilsands Processing Site
  • Nurses fight back against workplace violence and bullying

Remember to write us with your suggestions, questions and comments. Also, if you are an industry expert and ever want to take part in the program, we’d love to have you. Until next week, enjoy the program!

EHS This Week Resources
For more information on the stories and resources mentioned in this week’s podcast, check out the links below.

  • MSHA Proposed Proximity Detection Rule. Click here
  • 2015 State Base Pipeline Safety Grant Program.Click here
  • Nurses fight back against workplace violence and bullying. Click here

[audio: 2015/09/EHSTW-090415.mp3]… Read more...

Obama’s Clean Power Plan, Safety Groups Push for Veto to OSHA Funding Cuts and More!

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On this week’s edition of EHS This Week we’ve got the week’s top stories in environment, health and safety news:

  • Obama Administration Unveils Clean Power Plan
  • Safety Advocates Push for Veto to OSHA Funding Cuts

Remember to write us with your suggestions, questions and comments. Also, if you are an industry expert and ever want to take part in the program, we’d love to have you. Until next week, enjoy the program!

EHS This Week Resources
For more information on the stories and resources mentioned in this week’s podcast, check out the links below.

  • GreenBiz Webinar, “The Road to Paris: The Role of Business at COP21. Click here
  • Blog Post, “5 Questions to Ask About EPA’s Forthcoming Clean Power Plan. Click here.
  • Obama Administration Looks to Reduce Carbon Emissions from Power Plants. Click here
  • Safety Advocates Push for Veto to OSHA Funding Cuts. Click here

[audio: 2015/08/EHSTW-080715.mp3]… Read more...

MSHA: What’s the Real Impact of Fines on Mine Safety?

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Late in 2014, MSHA made headlines when an investigation revealed that nearly $70 million in health and safety penalties had yet to be paid by mining company owners. The joint investigation by news agency NPR and Mine Safety and Health News found that most of these unpaid penalties were between two and 10 years overdue.

In response to the pressure that followed this report, a federal investigation was launched that will focus on the penalty assessment and collection process at MSHA. More recently, a similar report by SNL Energy showed that U.S. coal producers owed more than $62 million in unpaid health and safety violations fines. Again, most of these citations were at least two years old. So why has MSHA not collected this money?

Typically, the process goes like this: MSHA issues a fine. Once the company has been notified, mine operators have 30 days to pay the fine. … Read more...

NIOSH Conference, OSHA Update, MSHA Mine Safety Data and More!

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On this week’s edition of EHS This Week we’ve got the week’s top stories in environment, health and safety news:

  • OSHA Plans to Update Eye and Face Protection
  • NIOSH Co-Hosting Occupational Stress and Health Conference
  • MSHA Releases 2014 Preliminary Mine Safety Data
  • California Launches Return-to_Work Supplement Program

Remember to write us with your suggestions, questions and comments. Also, if you are an industry expert and ever want to take part in the program, we’d love to have you. Until next week, enjoy the program!

EHS This Week Resources
For more information on the stories and resources mentioned in this week’s podcast, check out the links below.

  • OSHA Updates Eye and Face Protection Plan. Click here
  • NIOSH Stress and Health Conference . Click here.
  • MSHA Mine Safety Data. Click here
  • California Return-to-Work Program. Click here

[audio: 2015/04/EHSTW-042415.mp3]… Read more...

U.S. Mine Fatality Trends Prompt 2015 Updates to Outreach and Enforcement

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In 2014, the U.S. coal mining industry reported the lowest number of coal mining deaths in recorded history; this follows a steady decline in coal fatalities over recent years. Yet the overall fatality count for the U.S. mining industry in 2014 was just the fourth-lowest annual total on record.

The explanation? A spike in fatalities in the metal/nonmetal (MNM) mining sector. This sector reported their own record low fatality numbers back in 2011 and 2012, with 16 deaths each year. However, MNM fatalities rose to over 20 in 2013, and reported another increase in 2014 with a total of 25 deaths in the sector.

“Unacceptable” according to MSHA chief Joe Main, who has announced an increased focus in 2015 on combating fatal incidents, serious injuries and their root causes, particularly in light of the increasing fatality numbers in the metal and nonmetal mining sector.

Increasing Enforcement Efforts

MSHA’s “Rules … Read more...