MSHA’s Zatezalo recognizes upcoming National Miners Day

“From the coal that provides the lights we use to the copper used in our electronics and cookware, miners provide the necessary minerals to make the products integral to our daily lives, while sometimes facing hazardous conditions in the workplace,” Zatezalo writes.

Zatezalo, who worked in the mining industry most of his life, goes on to detail some of the hazards miners encounter each day.

“I fully recognize the hazards that confined spaces, mobile equipment and complex electrical equipment, just to name a few, can present to working miners,” he writes. “This is why my agency, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety & Health Administration, exists. MSHA enforces safety and health regulations at all American coal mines, quarries, copper and other metal mines, and many other facilities, to protect miners from the hazards they face each day. Our aim is to see every miner go home safe and healthy after every shift.”

Keeping miners safe means continued production of the indispensable products Americans use every day, Zatezalo adds.

“Every time you drink from a glass, thank a miner,” Zatezalo writes. “Every time you ride a bike, or take a drive in your car, thank a miner. Miners are the true backbone of not just our nation’s mining industry, but also the many industries that could not operate without the products miners generate.”

Featured image: NSSGA