The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration has stated that overall compliance regarding safety and health regulations is improving among more than 12,000 metal and nonmetal mining operations.
According to preliminary data, there was a 14 percent decline in citations and orders issued at these mines. In 2010, there were 74,373 citations and 64,186 citations in 2011. The percentage of significant and substantial citations and orders fell from 33 percent in 2010 to 28 percent in 2011, and recent data show that impact inspections as well as the pattern of violations program are helping compliance improvements.
"We are moving in a positive direction," says Joseph A. Main, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health. "More operators are taking a greater responsibility for mine safety and health, and as a result, miners are better protected from injuries, illnesses and death; more money can be invested in mine safety rather than used to pay penalties for violations; and litigation is reduced."
Recommended For You
Sixteen miners died in work-related accidents at both metal and nonmetal mines last year, though this represents fewer deaths from 23 in 2010 and the second-lowest number since metrics were first recorded in 1910.
To help mine operators attain better compliance and improve conditions, MSHA along with industry stakeholders, including state aggregate associations, have developed a training program for guarding conveyor, resulting in a 26 percent reduction in citations for guarding in 2011 compared to 2010. The 5002 health program has also been established, and with this effort, MSHA has increased its focus on exposure monitoring at metal and nonmetal mines for better worker protection from overexposure to dangerous airborne contaminants. Additionally, MSHA has implemented multiple initiatives to encourage enforcement consistency, such as the development of a two-week training program that is to be taken every two years by all field office supervisors.
Based on a recent review of enforcement data, of the 14 mines that received potential POV notices in 2010, the total violation rate among these mines is down 21 percent since finishing the potential POV process. The total significant and substantial violation rate is also down 38 percent while the rate of 104(d) closure orders is down 60 percent, and the lost-time injury rate at these mines fell 39 percent.
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
