MSHA, AEM target seat belt safety

The Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) issued a safety alert for seat belt use.

According to MSHA, about three miners were fatally injured each year between 2010 and 2015 in mobile equipment accidents because they were not properly wearing their seat belt.

To that end, MSHA and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) have partnered to increase seat belt use among equipment operators to achieve a zero-injury, zero-harm objective.

According to MSHA, a challenge remains in reaching operators who do not buckle up every time they get behind a wheel. The components of an effective seat belt policy at any operation can include a number of engineering and administrative controls. MSHA suggests operators consider the following:

• In the automotive industry, regulations and their enforcement have caused a marked increase in seat belt use. According to the National Safety Council, the national average of seat belt use is at 88 percent, and seat belt use is 11 percent higher in states with primary enforcement laws than in states with secondary enforcement only.
• Commercial airline passengers are unlikely to forget to buckle up given the industry’s standards for pre-flight instruction with a review of printed information; lights throughout the cabin to indicate that seat belts should be fastened; announcements when they must be fastened; and consistent staff and management follow-up.