Over More Than A Decade, Martin Stone Quarries Has Been Investing In Education. Its Latest Investments Support Career Technical Training.
By Therese Dunphy
The U.S. Department of Labor released the results of the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s (MSHA) second Pattern of Violations screening in 2024 and announced that for the first time since 2021, none of the nation’s mines met the POV criteria for the existence of a pattern of violations under section 104(e) of the Mine Act.
POV screenings enable MSHA to identify chronic violators and mine operators that show a disregard for miners’ health and safety. For the second year in a row, the agency conducted at least two POV screenings in a calendar year, setting new precedent and underscoring the agency’s concerted efforts to reduce accidents and improve operator compliance.
The announcement comes after MSHA conducted a POV screening of all the nation’s mines for a 12-month enforcement period ending Nov. 30, 2024.
“When the mining industry experienced a troubling increase in fatalities in 2023, MSHA actively led efforts to combat the trend, including enhanced enforcement like Pattern of Violations and impact inspections to improve compliance and focus on chronic violators,” said Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health Chris Williamson. “Mining fatal accidents decreased by 30% in 2024, and no mines were identified during the most recent POV screening. We know from recent experience and history that an active, adequately staffed MSHA is critical to preventing accidents and protecting miners’ safety and health.”
The Mine Act authorizes the Secretary to issue a POV notice to any mine that demonstrates a pattern of significant and substantial violations. The POV screening process examines all U.S. mines and identifies those with a high number of significant and substantial violations and other safety and health compliance problems. An S&S violation is one that could contribute in a significant and substantial way to the cause and effect of a safety or health hazard.
“MSHA’s POV screenings have helped improve compliance beyond just the mines that have met the screening criteria,” added Williamson. For the 200 mines with the most S&S violations, those violations have decreased 15% over the past two years. The same mines have also seen a 10% reduction in total violations and a 26% decrease in elevated enforcement actions. “POV remains a critical tool to rein in chronic violators and protect the nation’s most vulnerable miners,” he said.
The agency also announced that previous POV notices issued to the following mines remain in effect:
- Issued July 6, 2023, to Atalco Gramercy LLC, operator of Gramercy Operation in Gramercy, La., after MSHA identified a pattern of S&S violations related to leaks at the mine that create accumulations of material containing hazardous chemicals in work areas and walkways.
- Issued Dec. 1, 2022, to Morton Salt Inc., operator of the Weeks Island Mine and Mill in New Iberia, La., after the agency identified a pattern of S&S violations related to conditions and/or practices that contributed to loose ground hazards on ceilings and ribs throughout the mine.
Following issuance of the POV notice, 106 Mine Act 104(e) withdrawal orders have been issued to Atalco. This includes a recent impact inspection at Gramercy that resulted in the issuance of 60 violations, including 24 S&S violations, 23 104(e) orders, and four unwarrantable failure findings. To date, Morton Salt has been issued 96 104(e) withdrawal orders following receipt of its POV notice.
For mines that receive a POV notice, all S&S violations issued after the date of the notice are issued as 104(e) orders as directed by the Mine Act. Only miners who are assisting with the abatement of the hazards cited may remain in the area of the violation. The POV notice is terminated if MSHA does not issue a withdrawal order within 90 days after the notice is issued or if an inspection of the entire mine finds no S&S violations.
MSHA offers two online calculators to help operators monitor compliance: the Pattern of Violations Calculator, which allows mine operators to monitor performance under the POV screening criteria and alerts mine operators that corrective actions are needed, and the Significant and Substantial Calculator, which enables mine operators to monitor their S&S violations.
Mine operators are responsible for tracking their violation and injury histories to determine whether they need to take action to avoid meeting the POV screening criteria.
For more than a decade, Rod Martin, president of Martin Stone Quarries, has witnessed firsthand the impact of private donations on education as a member of the Foundation for Boyertown Education, the fundraising arm of his local school district.
“My two cousins and I grew up in the Boyertown area,” he said, “so we see what is available. We started with a lot of the contributions to the education foundation, and we still donate regularly.” In fact, the company has donated more than $275,000 to the foundation over the last 11 years.
In recent years, however, the company’s donations have expanded to include funding for career technical training programs near the company’s headquarters in Bechtelsville, Pa.
Supporting Technical Training
“We’ve branched out to the Western Montgomery Career and Technology Center (CTC) and the Berks Career and Technical Center (BCTC),” Martin explained.
Both centers have diesel mechanic and welding programs, and the BCTC program also has a heavy equipment operator training class. “It’s the coolest thing,” Martin said. “They have trucks, backhoes, loaders and more. They hold the class at a New Enterprise quarry that’s not running. They can practice grading, trenching, and all that.”
In each of the last two years, the company has donated $40,000 to BCTC. Its most recent donation helped fund a virtual simulator for the heavy equipment operator program. Martin noted that it allows students who aren’t out in the field to still develop their operating skills.
“The support from Martin Stone Quarries exemplifies the power of collaboration between industry and education,” said Robert Heckman, joint operating chairman representing school board officials from the 16 schools that attend BCTC.
At the end of 2024, the company worked with the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce to make a donation to the Western Montgomery CTC. That $10,000 donation is targeted for the center’s welding program.
“We went out and toured the school. It was amazing,” Martin said. The grade 9-12 building has approximately 30 welding booths. The donation is earmarked to purchase a welding generator for the welding lab.
This will allow the center to train students for welding for not only the field itself, but also the job site. “These welders are the heartbeat of the construction field,” the center said in a press release at the time of the donation. “It will better prepare them to enter the workforce and add value to the students graduating from Western Montgomery CTC.”
Workforce development
The ability to graduate high school students who are better prepared for careers in the aggregates industry is certainly a benefit to the Martin Stone Co.’s recent donations. “We’ve actually hired two people from BCTC,” Martin said. One hire was directly after graduation, while the other joined the company a year or two later.
“There used to be a stigma around going to tech school,” he added. “Now, tech schools have turned into the cool thing and these have waiting lists so the kids who are doing it are motivated.”
Other industry players also recognize the need for future workers. Local family-owned business such as New Enterprise Stone and Lime Co., Allan Myers and Haines and Kibblehouse, as well as some heavy construction contractors, support BCTC.
“I think we are all seeing the same thing across the country: there is going to be a workforce shortage,” Martin said. “So, we can get some of these kids coming out of school and give them the tools to be trained properly. Once they get to us, there is a lot less work that we have to do. You’re not starting from scratch.”
Once an employee joins Martin Stone, he noted that they typically enjoy a long tenure there. In fact, during a Christmas 2024 celebration, the company presented three employees with 35-year service awards.
“I think the average age of our workers out in the quarry and shop is around 55,” Martin said, “but the last three people we’ve hired have all been under 25.” With employee referrals one of the company’s most powerful and effective recruiting tools, those younger employees may bring in a fresh wave of future employees.
Therese Dunphy has covered the aggregates industry for nearly 30 years, while also serving multiple roles as a public official. As the owner of Stone Age Communications, she provides communications consulting services to help aggregate producers build stronger relationships within the communities they serve. She can be reached at [email protected].