The U.S. Department of Labor announced that its Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) completed impact inspections at 20 mines in 15 states in April 2023 and found 335 violations. Since Jan. 1, 2023, MSHA’s inspections identified 914 violations, including 257 significant and substantial and 18 unwarrantable failure findings. A significant and substantial violation is one reasonably likely to cause…
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MSHA Reports 24th Fatality of 2023
MSHA reported that on June 22, a contract bulldozer operator at Vulcan Materials’ Chula Vista, Calif., quarry died when the bulldozer he was operating backed off the edge of a highwall. The bulldozer operator was clearing the bench in preparation for drilling and blasting and had removed the berms along the edge.
Read MoreFIRST LOOK – July 2023
TOP NEWS GraniteGranite has received approval from the Utah Department of Air Quality (UDAQ) to begin the public comment period as part of Granite’s Parleys I-80 South Quarry small mine air permit application. During this rigorous application process, the application undergoes a comprehensive 30-day comment period, allowing the public to provide valuable input. U.S. Supreme Court The U.S. Supreme Court has…
Read MoreCrystalline Silica Rule Now in Federal Register
July 13, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Labor published a notice of proposed rulemaking by its Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to amend existing Federal standards to better protect the nation’s miners from health hazards related to occupational exposure of respirable crystalline silica, or silica dust. The proposed rule change will ensure miners have at least the same…
Read MoreMcGuire: Many Companies Already Complying with New Silica Proposal
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) on June 30 announced a proposal by its Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to amend current federal standards to better protect the nation’s miners from health hazards related to exposure to respirable crystalline silica, or silica dust. The proposed rule change will ensure miners have at least the same level of protections as workers in…
Read MoreMSHA’s Silica Proposal Released
The U.S. Department of Labor announced a proposal by its Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to amend current federal standards to “better protect the nation’s miners from health hazards related to exposure to respirable crystalline silica, or silica dust.” The proposed rule change will ensure miners have at least the same level of protections as workers in other industries.…
Read MoreMSHA Impact Inspections Target 16 Mines, Yield 279 Violations in May
The U.S. Department of Labor announced that its Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) completed impact inspections at 16 mines in May, issuing 279 violations and one safeguard.
Read MoreMSHA Reports 22nd Fatality of 2023
MSHA reported that on June 8, a miner died at Thomas Walsh’s N. Attleboro Plant, Bristol County, Mass., after climbing over the handrail onto a conveyor belt to gain access to a magnet belt that needed adjustment. When the miner stepped onto the magnet belt, the belt started, throwing the miner 16 ft. to the ground below. This is the…
Read MoreMSHA Reports 21st Fatality of 2023
MSHA reported that on June 1, a customer truck driver at Summit Materials’ Hockley Plant, Harris, Texas, died when he was struck by a component of his truck’s air bag height/ride suspension system while performing maintenance. This is the 21st fatality reported in 2023, and the seventh classified as “Machinery.” MSHA recommends the following best practices to avoid this type…
Read MoreMine Safety LLC Launches Site to Analyze MSHA Data
Mine Safety LLC, a company that promotes mining safety through high-quality software tools and solutions, has launched “Mine Lookup”, an application to analyze Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) data in various ways. “I have been in the industry as a software engineer since 2007 and I have felt this information should be more accessible to miners and to mining…
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