Joseph A. Main, assistant secretary of labor for Mine Safety and Health, addressed members of the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA) at its convention March 5 in Las Vegas. Main covered a variety of topics, and noted that “the actions taken by MSHA and the mining community to improve mine safety and health” have put the industry “on…
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First Look – April 2014
TOP NEWS ConExpo-Con/Agg Breaks RecordsTotal registration was 129,364 and the show set new records for exhibit space, number of exhibitors and education tickets sold. NSSGA Unveils Strategic PlanRocks Build America plan is targeted to rebuilding America’s crumbling transportation infrasturcture. NIOSH Honors Luck StoneTechnology innovation implemented by Luck Stone cited by National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.
Read MoreNSSGA VP Testifies before OSHA on Silica Rule
The National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association’s (NSSGA) Senior Vice President of Legislative & Regulatory Affairs Pam Whitted testified before the Occupational Safety and Health Administration on the potential impacts of OSHA’s crystalline silica proposed rule. The agency’s analysis for the proposed regulation will provide the basis for a similar regulation by the Mine Safety and Health Administration later this…
Read MoreMeadows Stone Settles Past MSHA Debt Through Garnishment
United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced in a press release that the Northern District of West Virginia had collected $116,183 in delinquent civil penalties from a West Virginia quarry.
Read MoreRequest for Depositions Denied Where Case Designed for Simplified Proceeding
By Ellen Smith R eview Commission Judge William Moran denied a construction company’s motion to conduct depositions where a case was designated for a simplified proceeding under Commission Rule 29 CFR §2700.101. Rule 101 requires that cases designated for Simplified Proceedings not involve fatalities, injuries, or illnesses, and generally include one or more of the following characteristics: the case involves…
Read MoreWhy Do We Have To?
O ne of the MSHA standards that we’ve grown to know and love is captured in the quotation above. It’s a perfect example of MSHA’s institutional neglect in maintaining certain standards with respect to advanced technology – fall arrest harnesses and retractable lanyards.
Read MoreFirst Look – March 2014
Vulcan Reports GainsVulcan Materials reports that in the fourth quarter of 2013, net sales increased $78 million, or 14 percent.
Read MoreFatality!
March 14, 2014 – On Feb. 28, 2014, a 50-year-old supervisor with 27 years of experience was killed at a sand and gravel operation. The victim was at a backfill site and approached an 80-ft. high bank when it failed, engulfing him. MSHA recommends the following best practices to avoid tragedies such as this one. Establish and discuss safe work procedures…
Read MoreMSHA Reports 2013 Accident Statistics
According to preliminary data released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration, 42 miners died in work-related accidents at the nation’s mines in 2013, an increase from the 36 miners who died in 2012. While mining fatalities occurred at a record low rate for the first three quarters of 2013, during the fourth quarter of 2013,…
Read MoreOpening in Deck on Loader Deemed S&S Violation of Safe Access Standard
By Ellen Smith A judge slightly increased MSHA’s proposed penalty from $873 to $900 for an S&S violation of MSHA’s “safe access” standard, §56.11001, where a front-end loader had an 18-in. opening in the handrail on the deck, and the driver had to access the deck to clean the loader’s windshield.
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