Federal inspectors issued 177 citations, 22 orders and one safeguard to a total of 12 operations, nine coal and three metal/non-metal.

Bledsoe Coal’s Abner Branch rider mine in Leslie County, Kentucky, was among the blitz targets and was visited during the second shift on June 21.

Abner Branch was previously issued a pattern of violations notice in April 2011, and is one of only two US mines to ever to receive such a notice from MSHA. Since that time, the complex has been issued 53 orders.

During the most recent review last month, the operator received 19 citations and 12 withdrawal orders, which effectively idled production throughout the entire mine for eight days.

Some of the violations recorded included combustible materials accumulations in the motor compartment of a utility vehicle in the mine’s primary escapeway; accumulations of loose coal, coal dust, black float coal dust and hydraulic oil on the roof bolting machine, along the mine floor and against the ribs; and an improperly functioning methane monitor.

“MSHA also cited the operator for defective, bare electrical wires and inadequate splices on the utility vehicle in the primary escapeway,” MSHA said.

“Additionally, the mine operator did not provide adequate roof/rib control and failed to follow the mine’s approved roof control plan. The operator also failed to identify, record and correct the absence of mesh that would prevent the fall of sections of the mine’s ribs and roof.”

The impact inspection was Abner Branch’s third since the program began in April 2010. Officials said the mine went back into production June 29 once the withdrawal orders were terminated and violations abated.

The second mine MSHA used as an example from its June inspections was a newer operation, Alliance Coal’s Tunnel Ridge operation in Ohio County, West Virginia. The mine received its impact inspection June 20 during the evening shift.

Following the review, which was the mine’s second, federal inspectors issued 34 enforcement actions, including 29 citations and five unwarrantable failure orders.

“An unwarrantable failure order was issued for failure to maintain the intake escapeway on the longwall section from the mine’s working face,” MSHA said.

“The escapeway was obstructed with mud and water up to 15 inches deep for a distance of 300 feet. A subsequent order was issued for the mine operator’s failure to identify this hazardous condition during the pre-shift examination.”

Additionally, Tunnel Ridge was cited for a failure to conduct methane tests at each working face as required under federal regulations.

Especially when Tunnel Ridge has been known for its methane liberation, inspectors noted that a failure to perform these checks during the mining bolting cycles could lead to an accumulation and even an ignition.

The West Virginia mine was also issued an order for not conducting an adequate pre-shift examination of the section.

“The Federal Mine Safety and Health Act requires operators to provide a safe workplace, and that includes finding and fixing hazards in order to keep miners from getting injured or killed,” assistant secretary of mine safety and health Joseph Main said.

“If operators ignore that responsibility and leave it to MSHA to find their problems, they should know that MSHA will use the full force of the law – including closure orders – to protect the nation’s miners.

“It is clear that, in the case of Abner Branch, a mine already on a pattern of violations, all of MSHA’s tools may not be enough. But until that changes, we will use what we have and aggressively enforce the law to ensure men and women who go into a mine at the beginning of a shift can come back out at the end of it.”

The agency’s special impact inspections began in force in April 2010 following the explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine where 29 workers were killed.

The push involved mines that warranted increased attention and enforcement by the agency due to a poor compliance history or particular compliance concerns.

These included high numbers of violations or closure orders; indications of operator tactics, such as advance notification of inspections that prevented inspectors from observing violations; frequent hazard complaints or hotline calls; plan compliance issues; inadequate workplace examinations; a high number of accidents, injuries or illnesses; fatalities; and adverse conditions such as increased methane liberation, faulty roof conditions and inadequate ventilation.

Since April 2010, MSHA has conducted 452 impact inspections, which have resulted in a total of 8283 citations, 833 orders and 33 safeguards.