Hand/Power Tool Safety Hand tools and power tools have played an important role throughout human history. They have become commonplace in our daily lives and are present in just about every occupational setting to include mining. In addition, many of these same tools can be found in most of our homes. While these tools serve…
The SME December Meeting: Manager’s Night will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 6 from 6-8 p.m. at The Club at Eaglebrooke! There will be a buffet style dinner of prime rib & shrimp, beer, wine and soft drinks. It’s manager’s night, so be sure to invite your boss to be recognized and dine while we get a…
Feds Eye Effectiveness of State Workers’ Compensation Systems By: Adele L. Abrams, Esq., CMSP. A new report by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) highlights the ways that monetary compensation and medical care for workers harmed in workplace accidents has been undermined in recent decades, and could signal a willingness to change its traditional “hands…
ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration announced today that federal inspectors issued 146 citations, six orders and one safeguard during special impact inspections at 11 coal mines and five metal and nonmetal mines in September 2016. Begun in force in April 2010, the monthly inspections involve mines that…
Sam Pierce, SE District Stakeholder, holds quarterly conference calls. In his latest call he discussed walk and talks that are currently in place, and he emphasized the use of seat belts; “proven by history that there is a better chance of survival when seat belts are worn.” He discussed supervisory oversight for safety – the importance…
With projected spending on construction projects forecasted to be in the billions over the next few years, the need for skilled heavy equipment operators is going to be a priority. The reality is that there won’t be enough experienced operators to meet the demand. According to a survey of the Construction Personnel Executives Group, 24%…
The desk of Sam Pierce, SE District Manager, MSHA, Metal/Nonmetal is looking forward to having the second 2016 SE Stakeholder conference call to discuss recent seatbelt concerns in Metal and Nonmetal mining and hope you will all join. The following agenda items will be addressed, along with a Q & A session for each topic: recent MNM…
On October 5, 2016, MSHA held an important mining industry stakeholder meeting, with a call to action to prevent mining deaths. While there have been great strides to improve mining safety, leading to 2015 as the safest year in mining history in terms of the fewest number of mining deaths and lowest fatal and injury…
OSHA Tries Fourth Amendment “Work-around” By: Gary Visscher, Esq. What constitutes a reasonable scope for an inspection after the employer reports an injury or an employee complaint is received, is before a federal district court in Georgia. The case involves poultry processor MarJac Poultry, Inc. Mar-Jac Poultry complied with OSHA’s 2014 injury reporting rule by…
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has posted a Seasonal Safety Alert on its website. Historically, October has been the mining industry’s deadliest month, especially in the metal and nonmetal (MNM) sector. Last year – in 2015 – a concerted effort by industry and MSHA to make October safe instead of deadly resulted in…