The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
Proposed rule calls for more proactive examinations by operators
The U. S. Department of Labor Mine Safety and Health Administration is proposing a new rule that would require mine operators to identify and correct unsafe conditions prior to allowing miners into a work area.
MSHA already requires mine operators to carry out safety examinations at some point during each shift. A run of 60 fatalities at U.S. mines since October 2013, however, has prompted the mine safety administration to propose more proactive examinations.
Introducing the proposed rule on June 7, Joseph Main, assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine, Safety and Health, said that MSHA investigations indicate that many of these deaths could have been avoided with more proactive safety inspections a qualified person at the mine.
"As evidenced by the fatalities at these mines, greater action by mine operators are needed to find and fix hazards before miners get hurt or killed," said Main. "Effective workplace examinations are critical to achieving that objective."
The constantly changing landscape inherent to mining is one of the reasons MSHA believes the new rule could prevent injuries and deaths.
"The mining environment changes continuously, and that environment must be constantly monitored," explained the labor secretary.
In addition to requiring proactive workplace examinations, the new rule would require mine operators to promptly notify miners of any hazardous conditions; and produce a signed and dated record of each examination.
The mine examination records - which would be required to include a description of locations examined, conditions found and corrective actions taken - are to be provided to MSHA upon request.
"Maintaining a record of adverse conditions found and corrective actions taken would help mine operators, miners and their representatives become more aware of dangerous and unhealthy conditions," according to Main. "These common-sense measures also would encourage operators to be more proactive in correcting these hazards before an accident, injury or fatality occurs."
The proposal, "Examinations of working places in metal and nonmetal mines," was published to the Federal Register on June 8 and MSHA will hold public meeting on the pending rule in Salt Lake City, Utah, on July 19; Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, on July 21; Arlington, Virginia, on July 26; and Birmingham, Alabama, on Aug. 4.
"MSHA has proactively provided notices to the mining industry on the need to improve mine site examinations, but now the time has come to require better, more effective examinations," Main said.
Over his more than 16 years of covering mining and mineral exploration, Shane has become renowned for his ability to report on the sector in a way that is technically sound enough to inform industry insiders while being easy to understand by a wider audience.
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