MSHA Monthly Inspections: Helping Ensure the Safety of Every American Miner

To cap a rather good campaign in 2013, the US Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has released the latest report about their impact inspections for the last month of the year. 

Photo from inside.mines.edu

MSHA’s Monthly Inspections: What’s In It?

This monthly inspection began in April 2010 after an explosion happened at the Upper Big Branch Mine. These accidents involve mines that are quite notorious for their poor compliance with the MSHA’s requirements. Through these inspections, the MSHA are able to detect various violations and thus recommend a course of action to the Labor Department to be able to eliminate these hazards. This in turn helps ensure the safety of the miners in the workplace.



MSHA’s December 2013 Inspection Results

Conducted on December 11, 2013, the MSHA made an impact inspection while in the day shift of Hanover Resources LLC’s Caymus Mine in Boone County West Virginia. According to their inspection, the MSHA has noticed seven “unwarrantable failure orders”, as well as six 104 (a) citations in the first-ever impact inspection at the mine.


Also, the MHSA has conducted another impact inspection this time it was held at the Veris Gold U.S.A. Inc’s Jerritt Canyon Mill in Elko County, Nevada. The Mill received 61 citations that included unsafe working habits for employees that have endangered their lives.


Need for Continuous Inspections

As a way to protect their employees while in the workplace, a mining operator should adhere to the MSHA directed safety guidelines to help ensure the health and well-being of their talents. Meeting these criteria also makes it easier and safer for employees to perform their jobs promoting workplace safety and the avoidance of accidents. With the tremendous, overwhelming amounts of danger that one may encounter while in a mining site, employees need these companies to adhere to the MHSA’s guidelines. This way the occurrence of accidents in the workplace can be minimized and workers would not end up getting hurt or killed.


In cases where one person gets hurt because of these violations an employee can sue their employer by seeking the help of a Los Angeles employment attorney and filing the right employment charges against them. That is why as workers, you should be made aware of what your rights are so you can protect yourself from abuse and get the things that you truly deserve, like fair treatment and pay, as well as a good working conditions conducive for productivity and success.