The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) announced that federal inspectors issued 193 citations and 13 orders during special impact inspections conducted at 14 coal mines and seven metal and nonmetal mines in August.
MSHA conducted the inspections at mines in Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Of the metal-nonmetal inspections, three aggregates operations were targeted, a Luck Stone plant, a Knife River plant and an R&R Wash Materials plant, resulting in only a combined six citations and zero orders. The Knife River plant had zero citations.
Monthly impact inspections began in force in April 2010 at mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement due to their poor compliance history or particular compliance concerns. Since then, MSHA inspectors have conducted 1,008 impact inspections and issued 14,979 citations, 1,269 orders and 57 safeguards.