MSHA releases February impact inspection results
The Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) released its February impact inspection results, noting that federal inspectors issued 146 citations and six orders at 10 coal mines and five metal and nonmetal mines.
In one particular instance, on Feb. 23, MSHA conducted an impact inspection at Dana Mining Co.’s 4 West Mine in Mount Morris, Pa., for its continued noncompliance with its roof control plan, ventilation plan, hazard condition complaints and accident history.
According to MSHA, a fatal rib fall accident occurred at this mine. Enforcement personnel issued nine citations and six orders for the following violations: an inadequate pre-shift examination that failed to identify coal accumulations on a working section; unattended energized equipment that was left on a working section for about two hours during a shift change; accumulations of methane on the same section where the energized equipment was left unattended due to missing ventilation controls; and failure to maintain firefighting equipment along an active belt line.
The negligence evaluations of these conditions were deemed unwarrantable because the mine operator showed an indifference toward the safety of its miners, rather than mitigate the known hazards, MSHA adds.
The monthly inspections began in April 2010 and involve mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement due to poor compliance history or other compliance concerns. Since they began, MSHA has conducted 1,113 impact inspections and issued 15,979 citations, 1,309 orders and 58 safeguards at mines in Alabama, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.
Read MSHA’s monthly impact inspection list for February 2016 here.
About the Author: Allison Kral
Allison Kral is the former senior digital media manager for North Coast Media (NCM). She completed her undergraduate degree at Ohio University where she received a Bachelor of Science in magazine journalism from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. She works across a number of digital platforms, which include creating e-newsletters, writing articles and posting across social media sites. She also creates content for NCM's Portable Plants magazine, GPS World magazine and Geospatial Solutions. Her understanding of the ever-changing digital media world allows her to quickly grasp what a target audience desires and create content that is appealing and relevant for any client across any platform.Subscribe to Pit & Quarry
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