For the seventh year in a row, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) found none of the nation’s 12,000 mining operations met the criteria for one of the agency’s toughest enforcement tools, its pattern of violations (POV) screening. In MSHA’s annual screening of operations from Aug. 1, 2020 to July 31, 2021, the agency found…
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Proposed MSHA Rule Targets Mobile Equipment
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) announced a proposed rule requiring mine operators that employ six or more miners to develop a written safety program for mobile equipment and powered haulage equipment (except belt conveyors) used at surface mines and surface areas of underground mines. The written safety program would include actions mine operators would…
Read MoreUS Aggregates Hosts Emergency Action Drills
US Aggregates hosted an emergency action drill at its Monon, Ind., quarry on July 24. The drill, in collaboration with Ozinga, Monon Fire Department, Monticello Fire Department and Lutheran Health Network, is part of an ongoing commitment to ensuring workplace safety for US Aggregates employees. During the drill, an Ozinga employee noticed one of its “workers” (Steve, a dummy filled…
Read MoreMSHA Reports 23rd Fatality
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reported that on Aug. 3, a miner at Bridgeport Stone Plant, Wise County, Texas, was run over by a customer tractor-trailer while walking to his normal work area. This is the 23rd fatality reported in 2021, and the ninth classified as “Powered Haulage.” Year to date, this is the highest number of powered…
Read MoreMartin Marietta District Achieves Safety Milestone
Martin Marietta’s North Texas/Oklahoma District has been here before. In April, the group celebrated a full year (more than 1 million hours) of work without a reportable incident across all 18 of its operations. It’s the second such achievement in the district’s history and this time, the team is far better positioned to make it endure. “The first time we…
Read MoreMSHA Calls for Powered Haulage Safety
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reported that so far this year, nine miners have been killed and 185 have been injured in accidents involving powered haulage equipment. Year to date, this is the highest number of powered haulage fatalities since 2006. That’s why the agency on July 20, hosted a national Stand Down for Safety Day focused on…
Read MoreMSHA Reports 12th Fatality
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reported that on May 18, a telehandler at the Young Mine, Jefferson County, Tenn., was towing a trailer with a diesel pump onboard up an inclined underground roadway when the tow hitch suddenly broke. The trailer rolled down the roadway, striking and fatally injuring a contract laborer. This is the 12th fatality reported…
Read MoreVirtual Reality Hazard Awareness Training Program Developed
Underground and surface mines can be hazardous places, so when it comes to safety training in the mining profession, the old saying “practice makes perfect” holds true. To improve hazard safety instruction, a team at South Dakota Mines has spent the past year developing a virtual reality (VR) training module that mimics a mining environment.
Read MoreNIOSH Announces Release of ErgoMine 2.0 App Update
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has launched version 2.0 of the ErgoMine app, an on-the-ground resource for mine workers and mine safety and health professionals. The auditing app helps to identify, record and track ergonomics and safety hazards that can lead to injuries, illnesses, and fatalities at the worksite.
Read MoreKrumenacher Pens Quarry Regulatory Book
Industry consultant Mark J. Krumenacher, senior principal/senior vice president for GZA GeoEnvironmental, has written a new book, “Quarry Regulatory Control and Permitting: Defending the Foundation of a Sustainable Society.” “There is no book or information source that addresses the extent of regulatory control and oversight and the challenges of permitting,” Krumenacher said. “If you or your partners have experienced the…
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