WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration completed impact inspections at 13 mines in 10 states in October 2023, issuing 215 violations.

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

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration completed impact inspections at 9 mines in 7 states in September 2023, issuing 123 violations.

Employers:      Duckels Construction Inc., Fred Duckels, owner 

Actions:           U.S. Mine Safety and Health Act consent order and judgment 

Court:               U.S. District Court of Colorado 

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 Oct. 10 to 12.

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 reduce mining accidents, injuries and illnesses by supporting programs such as safety and health courses. 

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, issuing 246 violations.

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

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced that its Division of Coal Mine Workers’ Compensation will host two outreach events in Alabama on Sept. 20 and 21, 2023, for current and former coal miners and their survivors to file or re-file benefit claims for those disabled by black lung disease. 

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 July 2023, issuing 288 violations and four safeguard notices. MSHA began impact inspections after an explosion killed 29 miners at West Virginia’s Upper Big Branch Mine in 2010.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration will extend the public comment period on proposed amendments to existing federal standards that protect the nation’s miners from health hazards related to workplace exposure of respirable crystalline silica, or silica dust.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that impact inspections completed by its Mine Safety and Health Administration at 18 mines in 12 states in June 2023 led the agency to issue 242 violations. The agency began impact inspections after the deaths of 29 miners in an explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine in April 2010, one of the deadliest in U.S. history.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today published a notice of proposed rulemaking by its Mine Safety and Health Administration to amend existing federal standards to better protect the nation’s miners from health hazards related to occupational exposure of respirable crystalline silica, or silica dust.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that its Mine Safety and Health Administration has notified Atalco Gramercy LLC, the operator of Gramercy Operation in Gramercy, Louisiana, that a pattern of violations of mandatory health or safety standards under section 104(e) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act exists.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a proposal by its Mine Safety and Health Administration to amend current federal standards to better protect the nation’s miners from health hazards related to exposure to respirable crystalline silica, or silica dust. The proposed rule change will ensure miners have at least the same level of protections as workers in other industries.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration completed impact inspections at 16 mines in May 2023, issuing 279 violations and one safeguard. MSHA conducts impact inspections at mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement due to poor compliance history; previous accidents, injuries and illnesses; and other compliance concerns.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced that its Division of Coal Mine Workers’ Compensation will host a series of outreach events on available benefits for current and former coal miners and their survivors in Arizona and New Mexico from June 27 to 29, 2023.

Held in the Four Corners region, the events will help serve members of the Navajo Nation eligible for federal benefits under the Black Lung Benefits Act.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration completed impact inspections at 20 mines in 15 states in April 2023 and found 335 violations.

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

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that its Mine Safety and Health Administration will hold its first “Stand Down to Save Lives” on May 17 as part of a national campaign to encourage the nation’s mining community to take steps to prevent injuries and illnesses and stop an alarming rise in the number of miners killed on the job in 2023.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that monthly impact inspections by its Mine Safety and Health Administration at 16 mines in 12 states in March 2023 have identified 205 violations, including 52 significant and substantial findings.