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Latest News

23
Mar

Crandall Canyon Mine Rescue Worker Dies in Mining Accident

A miner involved in the attempt to rescue six miners in a 2007 Utah coal mining accident has been killed in a roof collapse at another coal mine in the state.

Elam Jones, 28, of Huntington died in a roof collapse Friday afternoon at Castle Valley Mining, LLC’s #4 Mine in Emery County.  The dead miner was identified by Huntington Mayor Hilary Gordon.  A second miner, Dallin McFarlane, was treated and released from a local hospital.

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22
Mar

Consol Says Blacksville Fire is Out

Consol Energy believes the fire at its Blacksville No. 2 Mine has been put out.

In an update Thursday, company spokeswoman Lynn Seay said continuous air monitors inside the mine show gas levels remain steady and oxygen levels continue to decrease, which are indications the fire is no longer burning. 

The fire was first noticed March 12 when black smoke was seen pouring from a ventilation shaft just over the Pennsylvania line in West Virginia.  The mine straddles the two states.

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20
Mar

MSHA: Fall Protection Failures Led to Limestone Miner’s Death

Management’s failure to set up safe procedures for fall protection was the root cause of an accident that claimed the life of a miner at a Kentucky underground limestone mine.

This conclusion is contained in an accident report MSHA released today concerning the death of Melvin Jones, 58.  Jones, a plant miner, died following an incident in October 2009 at Sterling Materials’ mine of the same name in Verona, Gallatin County.

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20
Mar

The Die is Cast: Associations Representing Mine Operators Sue MSHA over POV Rule

Five mining trade associations have joined together to file suit against MSHA over its pattern of violations (POV) final rule.

The five – Kentucky Coal Association, National Mining Association, National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association, Ohio Coal Association and Portland Cement Association - filed the litigation today in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.  The court covers Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee.  The group is represented by the Washington, D.C.-based Patton Boggs law firm.

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19
Mar

Court Rules Commission Decision was Arbitrary

An appeals court has ruled as arbitrary and capricious a Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission decision to reject motions from a coal company to reopen penalty contest proceedings.

In an 8-page decision today, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals remanded a petition for review from Lone Mountain Processing to the Commission for reconsideration.  The judges held that the Commission failed to explain why in this case it had departed from its own precedent in granting case reopening under similar circumstances.

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18
Mar

Consol Making Progress to Put Out Blacksville Mine Fire

Consol Energy is making progress in its effort to extinguish a fire at its Blacksville No. 2 Mine.

“CONSOL Energy is injecting enough water to create a water seal from floor to roof across the affected area, and analysis of the atmosphere in the affected area is trending in a favorable direction,” company spokeswoman Lynn Seay said today.

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18
Mar

MSHA Suspends Construction of 50 psi Minova Gob Seal, Orders Inspections

MSHA has temporarily suspended its approval of a type of seal used in underground coal mines, effective immediately, and has ordered mine operators to begin testing them within 60 days.

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18
Mar

Whistleblower Escapes Punishment for Violation That Led to Miner’s Death

A whistleblower will not be punished for his part in a violation he ultimately reported to Kentucky regulatory officials after a miner died in an accident attributed to the violation.

Mackie Bailey, 41, was exonerated by the state Mine Safety Commission at a hearing March 14 after his attorneys argued that penalizing the person who blew the whistle on the illegal mining practice was not fair and would have a chilling effect on others placed in the same position.

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18
Mar

Haul Truck Driver Dies at Tennessee Quarry

A haul truck operator was killed Saturday at a Tennessee quarry when his truck ran off a mine road and plunged 60-80 feet into the pit.

Driver John David Boyd, 52, of Rockvale died at the scene of the accident at Hoover, Inc.’s Murfreesboro Quarry and Mill in Rutherford County, according to a report from WSMV-TV.  A voice mail message left with the company’s safety director has not yet been returned.

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17
Mar

Expert Panel Calls for More Work on Mine Emergency Response

While great strides have been made since 2006 to improve emergency response in underground coal, a more integrated approach is needed that considers all the factors necessary for efficient and effective self-escape during a mine emergency.

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16
Mar

Perez Said to be Pick for Labor Secretary

The White House isn’t commenting, but the word inside the Beltway is that President Obama is likely to nominate Thomas E. Perez as the next Secretary of Labor.

Perez, 51, has spent nearly his entire career in public service.  He currently serves as an assistant U.S. attorney general for civil rights.  He came to the federal government in 2009 from Maryland state government, where he worked as the secretary of labor.    

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15
Mar

Fire Still Burning at Blacksville Mine

Emergency personnel continue to pump water into an underground coal mine where a fire has been burning since at least Tuesday afternoon.

In a brief update provided late this afternoon, MSHA spokeswoman Amy Louviere said 1.2 million gallons of water have been put into Consol Energy’s Blacksville No. 2 Mine, which straddles the Pennsylvania-West Virginia border.  The average quantity per shift is about 125,000 gallons. 

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14
Mar

Aggregate Operator Cited Following Mine Fatality

MSHA has issued a citation and three orders against a Nebraska stone mine operator following the death of a miner, who was killed in a forklift accident. 

The enforcement action was taken in conjunction with the agency’s investigation of the death last Oct. 24 of 52-year-old Darold D. Abbott, Jr., a utility miner at the Martin Marietta Materials’ #273 Weeping Water limestone mine in Nebraska.  MSHA’s report was released today.

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14
Mar

Work to Put Out Coal Mine Fire Continues

Emergency work is continuing to extinguish an underground fire at a Pennsylvania coal mine.

Boreholes are being dug near the Orndoff air shaft where black smoke was spotted Tuesday afternoon at Consol Energy’s Blacksville No. 2 Mine near Wayne in Greene County. The Orndoff shaft is used primarily for ventilation and is actually located in West Virginia.  The mine straddles the border between the two states. 

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14
Mar

MSHA: Fatal Accident Caused by Failure to Prevent Dozer Movement

A 79-year-old foreman was killed at a California aggregate mine because management failed to assure a bulldozer that ran over him was blocked against hazardous motion.

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14
Mar

Accident Claims Fifth West Virginia Miner in Five Weeks

A Boone County coal miner has become the fifth miner to die in West Virginia in the past five weeks.

Asa Fitzpatrick, 63, of Kermit died from injuries he received while he was preparing to install a rib bolt, state spokeswoman Leslie C. Fitzwater said. Fitzpatrick was a roof bolt operator with 40 years' mining experience.

"A miner was seriously injured when a rock fell from the roof of the mine and struck him," said MSHA spokesman Jesse Lawder. "The injured miner was brought to the surface and died as a result of his injuries."

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13
Mar

2012 was Safest Year in Mining, Main Says

Preliminary data indicate that 2012 was the safest year on record in the U.S. mining industry, MSHA Assistant Secretary Joe Main told a gathering of mining stakeholders last week.

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13
Mar

Democrats Press White House to Release Silica Rule

Democrats holding senior and/or leadership positions on committees of jurisdiction in Congress are putting the heat on the White House to release OSHA’s long-stalled proposal to regulate crystalline silica.

In a letter last month to Jeffrey Zients, a deputy director at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), four lawmakers noted that the rule has been under review at OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for more than two years.

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13
Mar

Efforts Underway to Extinguish Coal Fire

Workers continue to try and put out a fire that erupted inside an Appalachian coal mine Tuesday.

All 121 dayshift workers were evacuated safely and without injury after black smoke was seen coming from an airshaft around 2 p.m. at Consol Energy’s Blacksville No. 2 Mine near Wayne in Greene County, PA.

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13
Mar

MSHA to Issue Safety Alert on Filter Presses

MSHA is expected to issue a safety hazard alert on plate filter presses following the death last month of an engineer who was killed when a hydraulic cylinder used on a press catastrophically failed.

Brandon E. Townsend, 34, died Feb. 6 of blunt force trauma at Midland Trail Energy’s Five Mile Prep Pit and Refuse Impoundment in Kanawha County, WV.  At the time of the accident, Townsend was troubleshooting the operation of the filter press, which de-waters coal fines produced when coal is cleaned.  Read more »

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Coming Events

May 29, Piedmont Triad Transportation Management Center, Greensboro, NC

June 4-6, Holiday Inn and Suites North Beach, Virginia Beach, VA

June 4-6, Ohio Department of Natural Resources Mine Safety Training Center, Cadiz, OH

Poll

Should the Mine Act be Amended to Remove MSHA's Jurisdiction over Surface Mines?
Yes
57%
No
35%
Not Sure
9%
Total votes: 23

Current Regulatory Agenda

Proposed (P) Final (F)

MSHA
(F) Pattern of Violations Issued Jan '13
(F) Prox Detect Devices:CMMs May '13
(F) Respirable Coal Dust Jun '13
(P) Prox Detect Devices UG Jul '13
(P) Civil Penalties Jan '13
(P) Legal Identity Not. Jul '13
(P) Silica Aug '13
(
P) Testing Fees Aug '13

 

OSHA
(F) Update Signage Mar '13
(F) Coop. Agreements Apr '13
(F) Update NAICS May13
(F) Confined Space Construction Jul '13
(F) Slips, Trips, Falls Aug '13
(P) Silica May '13
(P) Inj/Ill Reporting May '13
(
P) Combustible Dust Oct '13
(P) I2P2 Dec '13

Fatalities

          2013

  • Coal 8
  • Aggregates 2
  • Other M/NM 5

Total 15

    2012
  • Coal 19
  • Aggregates 10
  • Other M/NM 6

Total 35

    2011
  • Coal 21
  • Aggregates 8
  • Other M/NM 8

Total 37

    2010
  • Coal 48
  • Aggregates 9
  • Other M/NM 14

Total 71

 

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