December 9, 2024

US Department of Labor issues final rule adopting voluntary consensus standards for electric motor-driven mine equipment, accessories

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration has issued a final rule that updates testing, evaluation and approval requirements for electric motor-driven mine equipment and accessories used in gassy mines with high risks of fire and explosion. 

December 5, 2024

US Department of Labor conducted impact inspections at 15 mines with histories of repeated health, safety violations in October 2024

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration completed impact inspections in October 2024 at 15 mines in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wyoming and issued 286 violations. 

November 7, 2024

US Department of Labor awards more than $10.5M in grants to support mine safety, health training across the nation

WASHINGTON  The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration has awarded more than $10.5 million in grants to organizations in 45 states, the Navajo Nation and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to reduce mining accidents, injuries and illnesses by supporting programs such as safety and health courses.

November 6, 2024

US Department of Labor hosts annual conference for nation’s mine safety, health trainers at National Mine Health and Safety Academy, Nov. 12-15

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration is holding its annual Training Resources Applied to Mining conference in Beaver, West Virginia, from Nov. 12 to 15. 

October 31, 2024

Department of Labor completed impact inspections at 8 mines in 7 states with histories of repeated health, safety violations in September 2024

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration completed impact inspections in September 2024 at eight mines in Indiana, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin and issued 112 violations. 

October 2, 2024

US Department of Labor announces over $1M in grants awarded to support mine safety, health awareness; education, training

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $1 million in grants to seven organizations in five states to support education and training initiatives that will help identify and prevent unsafe working conditions in and around the nation’s mines.

September 30, 2024

US Department of Labor completed August 2024 impact inspections at 14 mines with repeated health, safety violations, issued 253 violations

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration completed impact inspections at 14 mines in 10 states in August 2024, issuing 253 violations.

The agency began conducting impact inspections after an April 2010 explosion in West Virginia at the Upper Big Branch Mine killed 29 miners.

August 29, 2024

Department of Labor completed impact inspections at 16 mines with histories of repeated safety, health violations in July 2024

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration completed impact inspections at 16 mines in 10 states in July 2024, issuing 239 violations and one safeguard.

The agency began conducting impact inspections after an April 2010 explosion in West Virginia at the Upper Big Branch Mine killed 29 miners.

July 29, 2024

Department of Labor completed impact inspections at 15 mines with histories of repeated health, safety violations in June 2024

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration completed impact inspections at 15 mines in 12 states in June 2024 and cited mine operators for 195 violations.

The agency began conducting impact inspections after an April 2010 explosion in West Virginia at the Upper Big Branch Mine killed 29 miners. 

July 19, 2024

Department of Labor announces completion of 12-month safety, health screening of nation’s mines for Pattern of Violations to protect miners

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration has released results of a Pattern of Violations screening that identifies chronic violators and mine operators that show a disregard for miners’ health and safety. 

July 10, 2024

US Department of Labor announces up to $1M in Brookwood-Sago grants available to promote mine safety, health education; training

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced up to $1 million in funding available in Brookwood-Sago grants to support the delivery of education and training to the nation’s mining community to help them identify, avoid and prevent unsafe and unhealthy working conditions.

June 26, 2024

Department of Labor completed impact inspections at 15 mines with histories of repeated health, safety violations in May 2024

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration completed impact inspections in May 2024 at 15 mines in 12 states, leading the agency to cite 300 violations and one safeguard.

The agency began conducting impact inspections after an April 2010 explosion in West Virginia at the Upper Big Branch Mine killed 29 miners. 

June 21, 2024

US Department of Labor announces $10.5M funding availability to support mine safety, health training, education

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that its Mine Safety and Health Administration is making $10.5 million in grant funding available to help provide mine safety training for the nation’s miners.

May 28, 2024

Department of Labor completed impact inspections in April 2024 at 15 mines with histories of repeated health, safety violations

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration completed impact inspections at 15 mines in 11 states in April 2024, issuing 247 violations and two safeguards. An inspector issued safeguards due to site-specific standards at underground coal mines to address safety hazards related to transportation of miners and materials in haulage ways. 

May 15, 2024

Department of Labor to hold 2nd annual ‘Stand Down to Save Lives’ to promote miner safety, health at nation’s mines on May 22

WASHINGTON – The Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration will hold its second annual ‘Stand Down to Save Lives’ on May 22, as part of a national campaign to encourage the nation’s mining community to take steps to prevent fatalities and injuries. 

April 30, 2024

Department of Labor announces findings of March 2024 impact inspections completed at 14 mines with histories of repeated health, safety violations

WASHINGTON  The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration completed impact inspections at 14 mines in 11 states in March 2024, issuing 199 violations and one safeguard.

The agency began conducting impact inspections after an April 2010 explosion killed 29 miners in West Virginia at the Upper Big Branch Mine.

April 19, 2024

Mine manager pleads guilty to second-degree manslaughter for recklessly operating crane that killed Grafton mine mechanic

TROY, NY – An upstate New York court accepted a mine manager’s guilty plea today to manslaughter in the second degree, a Class C felony. Anthony Valente, a mine manager at a Grafton limestone quarry, admitted to causing Darren Miller’s death in October 2022 by recklessly disregarding and overriding safety features of a crane Valente was operating, which resulted in a piece of the crane striking Miller, a 35-year-old mechanic, and causing his death. The manager agreed to serve a six-month jail sentence and five years of probation.

April 16, 2024

El Departamento de Trabajo publica una norma definitiva que reduce la exposición al polvo de sílice y protege mejor la salud de los mineros frente a enfermedades laborales irreversibles

WASHINGTON: El Departamento de Trabajo de EE. UU. ha anunciado hoy que su Administración de Seguridad y Salud Minera (Mine Safety and Health Administration, MSHA) ha publicado una norma definitiva para proteger mejor a los mineros del país de los peligros para la salud asociados a la exposición a la sílice cristalina respirable, también conocida como polvo de sílice o polvo de cuarzo. 

April 16, 2024

Department of Labor issues final rule reducing silica dust exposure, better protecting miners’ health from irreversible workplace illnesses

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration has issued a final rule to better protect the nation’s miners from health hazards associated with exposure to respirable crystalline silica, also known as silica dust or quartz dust.  

March 25, 2024

Department of Labor announces findings of February 2024 impact inspections completed at 13 mines with histories of repeated safety, health violations

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration completed impact inspections at 13 mines in nine states in February 2024, identifying 207 violations.

The agency began conducting impact inspections after an April 2010 explosion in West Virginia at the Upper Big Branch Mine killed 29 miners.