The MSHA has indicated increased compliance at its most recent stakeholder meeting, with MSHA Assistant Secretary Joseph Main stating that the percentage of inspections resulting in zero citations rose to 25% in 2015 from an average of 20%. Only one facility qualified for a Pattern of Violation designation, and a subsequent review indicated that it did not deserve POV status. The NSSGA highlighted the excellent and innovative programmes implemented by some NSSGA members to boost compliance.
- Hilltop Basic Resources arranged for workers to conduct safety audits of Hilltop facilities they do not work in, as workers unfamiliar with a facility may detect potential hazards that may be overlooked by others.
- Lehigh Hanson created an off-site safety conference to which the company invited MSHA personnel. Essential safety information was then disseminated to all company employees in an MSHA district.
- Martin Marietta’s “Guardian Angel” program encourages workers, regardless of position, to speak up if they witness an unsafe environment or activity and thus protect co-workers.
- A Vulcan Materials Co. safety program tests how well employees conduct workplace exams by inserting “dummy” hazards into them.
The MSHA intends to increase the number of best practices that it sends to the industry; with some worries continuing as not all reported statistics were positive. MSHA stated that it directed Educational and Field Service (EFS) support to almost 8000 mines, but only 45% of those were small operations with 10 or fewer employees. This is troublesome because of MSHA’s previous assurances that small mines would benefit from the combination of offices. “A higher percentage of EFS’s services should be directed to small mines, which are the facilities most in need of compliance assistance,” said Joseph Casper, NSSGA vice president of safety.
Adapted from press release by Rebecca Bowden