From: MSHA
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that federal inspectors issued 428 citations, orders and safeguards during special impact inspections conducted at 15 coal mines and four metal/nonmetal mines last month. The coal mines were issued 339 citations, 12 orders and two safeguards, while the metal/nonmetal operations were issued 62 citations and 13 orders.
These inspections, which began in force during April 2010 following the explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine, involve mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement due to their poor compliance history or particular compliance concerns, including high numbers of violations or closure orders; indications of operator tactics, such as advance notification of inspections that prevent inspectors from observing violations; frequent hazard complaints or hotline calls; plan compliance issues; inadequate workplace examinations; a high number of accidents, injuries or illnesses; fatalities; and adverse conditions such as increased methane liberation, faulty roof conditions and inadequate ventilation.
“These impact inspections continue to spotlight serious health and safety conditions that exist at a number of mining operations around the country,” said Joseph A. Main, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health. “MSHA inspectors will not hesitate to use all of the enforcement tools at their disposal to bring these mines into compliance.”
As one example from last month’s impact inspections, on May 6, an inspection team arrived during the evening shift at Perry County Coal Corp.’s E4-2 Mine in Perry County, Ky. At the time of the inspection, the mine was on a 10-day spot inspection for methane liberation. Inspectors seized and monitored two phones on the surface to prevent advance notification of their arrival. They visited all four mechanized mining units and inspected conveyor belts in the outby areas of the mine.
Altogether, they issued 45 citations and three orders at this mine. Orders were issued for failing to abate a previous violation for combustible material along a conveyor belt, and to properly conduct the required dust parameter checks and on-shift examination. The operator was issued citations for ventilation-related violations, accumulations of combustible material along conveyor belts and on electrical equipment, and failure to maintain lifelines in the escapeways miners would use during a mine emergency. These conditions can lead to injury or death from a mine fire or explosion. The operator also was cited for failing to maintain dust collection systems designed to protect miners from black lung disease.
As a second example from last month, a team conducted an inspection May 16-23 at the Sherwin Alumina Co. LLC, Sherwin Alumina LP facility – a large alumina mine employing approximately 550 miners – located in San Patricio County, Texas. MSHA issued 35 citations and six unwarrantable failure orders.
Among the conditions inspectors found were areas where miners could fall from heights because of a lack of railings, covers or other protection; malfunctioning switches on electric equipment and circuits; equipment with safety defects; unguarded conveyor belts; and miners failing to wear life jackets or belts where there was a danger of falling into water. These are conditions commonly associated with injury or death in the mining industry.
That impact inspection was the second conducted at the Sherwin Alumina mine. The first was in May 2010.
Since April 2010, MSHA has conducted 278 impact inspections, which have resulted in 5,011 citations, 467 orders and 16 safeguards.
Editor’s note: A spreadsheet containing the results of impact inspections in May 2011 accompanies this news release.
1 Comment until now
MSHA is a great example of over reaching government with a lack of focus on real issues and conditions to ensure the safety of the workers. The inspectors are being severly pressured by Joe Main and his management team to find something (anything) at the facilities and write/ issue citations so they look good to the elected officials…even where there are no citatable items based on the federal regulations they are issuing citations and orders. Issuing a citation does not mean that there was a real hazard or condition…it simply means they wrote it. A majority of the citations and orders that are issued by the agency are not for unsafe conditions, and they will be changed in the process for contesting that companies have to go through. The media should review the number of citations and orders issued in the above versus the number of citations and orders that become final. There is a huge gap and this is a direct reflection of the poor enforcement policies and performance of MSHA and its management. This is a huge waste of our taxpayer dollars and are costing the American people millions and millions. Additionally, it is costing American businesses millions to fight the unfounded citations and orders, and we will eventually lose tehse companies to other countries overseas who are not harassing them. It is again time for change.
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