September 28, 2021

US Department of Labor awards $1M in Brookwood-Sago grants for mine safety education, training to 13 recipients

WASHINGTON, DCThe U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced the award of $1 million in Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety grant program funding to support education and training to help identify, avoid and prevent unsafe working conditions in and around the nation’s mines.

September 8, 2021

US Department of Labor announces proposed rule to require mine operators to improve safe usage of mobile, powered-haulage equipment

WASHINGTON, DC The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced a proposed rule to require mine operators employing six or more miners to develop a written safety program for mobile and powered haulage equipment (excluding belt conveyors) at surface mines and surface areas of underground mines.

April 5, 2021

Statement by Secretary Marty Walsh on the anniversary of the Upper Big Branch explosion

WASHINGTON, DC – On the 11th anniversary of the explosion at West Virginia’s Upper Big Branch mine, U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh today issued the following statement:

March 29, 2021

US Department of Labor announces availability of $10.5 million for mine safety training grants

ARLINGTON, VA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced the availability of $10,537,000 in state grant funding to provide training and retraining of miners and mine operators working at surface and underground coal and metal and nonmetal mines. The training is federally mandated.

March 29, 2021

US Department of Labor announces Brookwood-Sago grants’ availability of up to $1M for mine safety education, training

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration announced today the availability of up to $1 million to fund grants to support education and training to help mine workers identify, avoid and prevent unsafe working conditions.

March 10, 2021

US Department of Labor issues stronger mine safety guidance on coronavirus

WASHINGTON, DC The U.S. Department of Labor issued today stronger worker safety guidance to help mine operators and mine workers implement a coronavirus protection program and better identify risks that could lead to exposure.

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.