LABOR DEPARTMENT REMINDER REGARDING SAFETY AS SURFACE MINES REOPEN

FROM:  U.S. LABOR DEPARTMENT 
As Mines Reopen for Spring, Think Safety
by BRIAN GOEPFERT on MARCH 18, 2014 

The arrival of spring means it’s time for hundreds of surface mines to reopen after the winter freeze. It’s a busy but potentially dangerous period, as miners return to work and prepare equipment for the new season. There’s no better time to brush up on safety procedures that can carry mining operations through the summer.

Of the 12,000 metal and nonmetal mines overseen by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, nearly half – 5,800 – are operated on an intermittent basis, closing in the winter months when snow and freezing temperatures make operations difficult or impossible. Most of these intermittent mines are crushed stone operations, primarily sand and gravel pits, but they also include limestone, granite and other stone operations.

According to MSHA data, injuries at these aggregate mines typically climb sharply in the spring, then drop in the fall to a mid-winter low, as shown by the chart below.

Through the past decade, overall injury rates have been reduced, but the pattern of increases in the spring remains. MSHA reminds all miners and mine operators to review the safety information at www.msha.gov, particularly this page for metal and nonmetal mines, and attend spring safety workshops if any are offered in your area.

For more information about how to stay safe, and to find out whether spring safety workshops are planned in your area, please contact the nearest district office, which can be found here.

Brian Goepfert is the safety division chief for metal and nonmetal mines within the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

MSHA OFFICIAL'S REMARKS TO WV COAL ASSOCIATION MINING SYMPOSIUM

FROM:  LABOR DEPARTMENT 
MSHA's Joseph Main addresses WV Coal Association Mining Symposium
Mine safety chief touts decline in fatality and injury rates

ARLINGTON, Va. — In a speech before attendees of the West Virginia Coal Association's 41st Annual Mining Symposium in Charleston, W.Va., today, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health Joseph A. Main discussed actions taken by the Mine Safety and Health Administration and the mining community over the past year to improve mine safety and health.
In his remarks, Main stated that mine safety has been on a steady path of improvement since the agency began implementing reforms, characterized by a reduction in the number of chronic violators and better compliance with mine safety and health standards. Most importantly, during this period, the industry achieved the lowest fatality and injury rates in the history of mining in 2011 and again in 2012, a trend that continued through FY 2013.

"MSHA has put into place a number of initiatives that we believe have improved mine safety and health and mine emergency response," said Main. Notably, the agency spearheaded the creation of a national organization to provide guidance on mine rescue; continued actions to reduce black lung and other occupational diseases; and filed the most discrimination cases ever filed in a single year on behalf of miners who have been retaliated against by their employers for making hazardous condition complaints.

In addition, in 2013, the agency completed all of its corrective actions in response to the 100 recommendations made by the internal review of the Upper Big Branch mine disaster. "This Upper Big Branch review was one of the most comprehensive internal reviews conducted in MSHA history," Main said, "and the corrective actions MSHA took have resulted in the most extensive changes at MSHA in decades, improving mine safety and health for the nation's miners and changing how we do business at the agency." To address its recommendations, MSHA overhauled its mine inspection handbooks, implemented new inspection procedures on rock dusting of mines to prevent coal dust explosions, and implemented a centralized directive system for the development and to ensure consistency of the agency's policies.

Main highlighted these and other actions, noting that MSHA and the mining community still have work to do. However, as he stated: "Certainly, the progress we have made in mine safety in recent years lets us know that greater improvements are achievable. We owe the nation's miners that much."