January 13, 2021

U.S. Department of Labor Reports 29 Mine-Related Deaths in 2020

ARLINGTON, VA – In 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reports there were 29 mining fatalities, making it the sixth consecutive year that mining fatalities were below 30. Among those fatalities, five occurred in coal mines, a historic low.

November 18, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Announces Proposed Rule Adopting Standards For Electric Motor-Driven Mine Equipment and Accessories

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) today announced a proposed rule incorporating national and international voluntary consensus standards related to electric motor-driven mine equipment and accessories.

September 30, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Awards $400,000 in Brookwood-Sago Grants For Mine Safety Education and Training

ARLINGTON, VA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has awarded $400,000 in funding through its Brookwood-Sago grant program to support education and training to help identify, avoid and prevent unsafe working conditions in and around the nation’s mines. 

July 17, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Announces Up to $400,000 Available In Brookwood-Sago Grants for Mine Safety Education and Training

WASHINGTON, DC The U.S. Department of Labor announced the availability of up to $400,000 in grant funding through its Brookwood-Sago grant program to support education and training to help identify, avoid and prevent unsafe working conditions in, and around, the nation’s mines.

July 16, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Statement on D.C. Circuit Court Ruling

WASHINGTON, DC – Solicitor of Labor Kate O’Scannlain and Assistant Secretary for the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) David G. Zatezalo issued the following statement regarding today’s ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in In re: United Mine Workers of America International Union and United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied-Industrial and Service Workers International Union, AFL-CIO-CLC, No. 20-1215:

March 17, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Announces No U.S. Mines Met Pattern of Violations Screening Criteria

ARLINGTON, VA – Of the nation’s 13,000 mining operations, none met the screening criteria for a Pattern of Violations (POV), one of the toughest enforcement tools used by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). The announcement follows MSHA’s most recent screening, covering the period from Feb. 1, 2019 to Jan. 31, 2020. This was the sixth consecutive screening that resulted in no POV notices. The last screening covered the period from Sept. 1, 2018, to Aug. 31, 2019.

January 30, 2020

Fatal U.S. Mining Accidents Dropped in 2019

ARLINGTON, VA – There were 24 mining fatalities in the U.S. in 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reports. This is the fewest annual fatalities ever recorded, and only the fifth year in MSHA’s 43-year history that mining fatalities were below 30. MSHA is still reviewing two cases of possible chargeable fatalities which, if added would make the total in 2019 the second lowest number of fatalities ever recorded.

December 6, 2019

Statement by Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia on National Miners Day

"Today, on National Miners Day, we join our fellow Americans in recognizing the hundreds of thousands of men and women who perform painstaking work in more than 13,000 mines across the country. Every day, miners secure the raw coal, metal and non-metal materials that help power and build our nation.

At the Department of Labor, through the Mine Safety and Health Administration, we honor miners every day by working to protect their health and safety and to ensure they can return to their loved ones at the end of the workday."

November 6, 2019

U.S. Department of Labor Determines No U.S. Mining Operations Met Pattern of Violations Criteria for 5th Consecutive Year

ARLINGTON, VA – For the fifth consecutive year, none of the nation’s more than 13,000 mining operations met the criteria for a Pattern of Violations (POV), the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) announced today. The screening period started on September 1, 2018, and ended on August 31, 2019.

September 6, 2019

U.S. Department of Labor Awards $400,000 in Brookwood-Sago Grants For Mine Safety Education and Training

ARLINGTON, VA – The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has announced the award of $400,000 in funding through its Brookwood-Sago grant program to support education and training to help identify, avoid and prevent unsafe working conditions in and around the nation's mines. 

August 28, 2019

U.S. Department of Labor to Seek Data on Protecting Miners From Exposure to Quartz

ARLINGTON, VA The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) today announced that it will publish a Request for Information (RFI) in the Federal Register seeking data on economically and technologically feasible methods to protect miners' health from exposure to quartz. The RFI includes an examination of an appropriately reduced permissible exposure limit, potential new or developing protective technologies, and/or technical and educational assistance.

June 12, 2019

U.S. Department of Labor Announces Upgraded Data System to Assist Mine Operators in Ensuring Compliance with Mine Safety and Health Regulations

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has completed a major upgrade to its primary data system – the Mine Data Retrieval System (MDRS) – bringing increased functionality and more intuitive navigation to this widely used feature.

April 16, 2019

U.S. Department of Labor Announces Availability of up to $400,000 In Brookwood-Sago Grants for Mine Safety Education and Training

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has announced the availability of up to $400,000 in funding through its Brookwood-Sago grant program to support education and training to help identify, avoid, and prevent unsafe working conditions in and around the nation's mines.

February 27, 2019

One of the Most Senior Level Former Coal Company Officials in Kentucky Charged for Defrauding Regulators About Black-Lung Causing Risks To Miners

MADISONVILLE, KY – United States Attorney Russell M. Coleman announced the charging of an additional former supervisor and safety official from Armstrong Coal, in addition to the eight previous officials charged by a federal grand jury, for conspiracy to defraud an agency of the United States government by deceit, trickery, and dishonest means.

January 9, 2019

U.S. Mining Fatalities in 2018 Were Second Lowest on Record

ARLINGTON, VA – The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reports that 27 mining fatalities occurred in 2018 - the second lowest number ever recorded.

Eighteen fatalities occurred at surface operations; nine occurred in underground mines. Approximately 250,000 miners work across 12,000 U.S. metal/nonmetal mines, and 83,000 miners work in the nation's 1,200 coal mines.

December 6, 2018

U.S. Secretary of Labor Acosta Statement Regarding National Miners Day

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta released the following statement regarding National Miners Day:

October 23, 2018

Scofflaw Program Reclaims $5.2 Million in Unpaid Mine Safety and Health Fines

ARLINGTON, VA – Seven months after taking action to strengthen enforcement efforts regarding delinquent fines and mine violations, the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) announced today that 49 mine operators have either taken steps to enter into payment agreements or satisfied their delinquent debts, resulting in $5.2 million in recovered fines.

October 2, 2018

U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration Announces $10.5 Million in State Grant Funding

ARLINGTON, VA – The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has awarded $10,537,000 in grant funding to support safety and health courses, and other programs. MSHA awarded grants to 46 states, the Navajo Nation, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

September 28, 2018

U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration Awards $250,000 in 2018 Brookwood-Sago Grants

ARLINGTON, VA – The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration announced today the award of $250,000 to four organizations to develop and conduct training programs that support the recognition and prevention of safety and health hazards in underground mines.

July 31, 2018

U.S. Department of Labor to Hold Public Stakeholder Meetings on Reducing Mine Accidents Involving Mobile Equipment and Belt Conveyors

ARLINGTON, VA – The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) will hold six public stakeholder meetings and a webinar on the Agency's Request for Information (RFI) on Safety Improvement Technologies for Mobile Equipment at Surface Mines, and for Belt Conveyors at Surface and Underground Mines. The RFI was published in the Federal Register on June 26, 2018.