WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration completed impact inspections in October 2024 at 15 mines in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wyoming and issued 286 violations.
The agency conducts impact inspections at mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement because of poor compliance history; previous accidents, injuries and illnesses; and other compliance concerns. Of the 286 violations MSHA identified during October 2024 impact inspections, 95 were evaluated by inspectors as significant and substantial and 12 had unwarrantable failure findings. The agency began conducting impact inspections after an April 2010 explosion in West Virginia at the Upper Big Branch Mine killed 29 miners.
Since 2023, MSHA’s impact inspections have identified 4,965 violations, including 1,380 significant and substantial and 99 unwarrantable failure findings. An S&S violation is one that is reasonably likely to cause a reasonably serious injury or illness. Violations designated as unwarrantable failures occur when an inspector finds aggravated conduct that constitutes more than ordinary negligence.
Read the full news release now: https://www.msha.gov/news-media/news-releases/2024/12/05/us-department-labor-conducted-impact-inspections-15-mines-histories-repeated-health-safety