MSHA Offers A Range Of Compliance Assistance Materials For Mine Operators, Informational Materials For Miners and Other Resources. Respirable crystalline silica, or silica dust, is a common occupational hazard for coal and metal/nonmetal (MNM) miners. Silica dust is released through many mining and milling operations. To avoid any legal issues, producers should stay current on compliance. Silica dust can be…
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MSHA Conducted 13 Impact Inspections in December
The U.S. Department of Labor announced that its Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) completed impact inspections in December 2024 at 13 mines in Alabama, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah and West Virginia, and issued 119 violations.
Read MoreMSHA: No Mines Met Pattern of Violations Criteria in 2024
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…
Read MoreFIRST LOOK – JANUARY 2025
TOP NEWS Summit-Quikcrete MergerSummit Materials Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Quikrete Holdings Inc. for $52.50 per share in cash, for a total enterprise value of approximately $11.5 billion, including debt. The transaction combines Summit’s leading aggregates, cement and ready-mix concrete businesses with Quikrete’s leading concrete and cement-based products business to create a vertically integrated,…
Read MoreMSHA Reports Two More Fatalities
MSHA reported that on Nov. 5, a miner at Samuel G. Hurworth in Crane County, Texas, died when the haul truck he was operating over travelled a dump point. The edge of the dump point failed, causing the haul truck to travel backwards, overturn and land on the roof of the cab. This is the 26th fatality reported in 2024, and…
Read MoreMSHA Final Rule Promotes Innovative, Advanced Technologies
On Dec. 10, MSHA published a final rule that allows the use of eight voluntary consensus standards approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for electric mining equipment approvals. This final rule allows product manufacturers and designers seeking MSHA approval to follow either the ANSI-approved voluntary consensus standards or the existing MSHA-specific technical requirements. This final rule updates MSHA’s…
Read MoreIt Was a Change Election
What Will The Department Of Government Efficiency Do With MSHA? By Brian Hendrix A few months ago, I said I would explain what the Supreme Court’s decision this year in SEC v. Jarkesy may mean for certain types of cases under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act. Much has changed since then, so I’m going to cover Jarkesy in…
Read MoreOpioid Resource Guide
Dec. 9, 2024 – The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has released an Opioid Resource Guide. The goal of this guide is to provide mine operators, occupational safety and health managers and others with actionable tools to more effectively plan, implement and integrate a range of workplace interventions to prevent opioid use and opioid use disorder among mine workers.…
Read MoreMSHA Reports 27th Fatality of 2024
MSHA reported that on Nov. 16, a miner at Ervin Hill Enterprises Inc., Highland County, Ohio, died when he became entangled in a log washer. The miner was last seen standing on a deck and using a water hose to wash material out of the log washer to clear a blockage. This is the 27th fatality reported in 2024, and the fourth classified…
Read MoreMSHA Warns About Stockpile Safety
Dec. 5. 2024 – MSHA reported that recent accidents highlight the risks associated with dump points and stockpiles, especially where stockpile stability and visibility are of concern. Fatalities and serious injuries have occurred when heavy equipment operators traveled or dumped material too close to a stockpile edge or worked too close to the toe of an over-steepened stockpile. MSHA recommends…
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