“These concentrated inspections, which began in force last April following the explosion at Upper Big Branch Mine, target mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement due to their poor compliance history or particular compliance concerns, including high numbers of violations or closure orders; indications of operator tactics, such as advance notification of inspections that prevent inspectors from observing violations; frequent hazardous 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,” MSHA officials pointed out.
During the most recent round, coal operations received 275 citations, 53 orders and three safeguards. In total, federal investigators issued 499 citations, 61 orders and three safeguards.
MSHA assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health Joseph Main said the agency continued to find serious threats to the safety and health of miners.
“While some operators are finally getting the message, others are not,” he said, referencing the September 28 impact inspection at Massey Energy’s Elk Run Coal Seng Creek Powellton mine, where federal inspectors issued 11 closure orders when the mine was found to be operating with improper ventilation.
MSHA makes an example of violator mines
Federal officials released a list of the offending operations targeted in September: those in coal included mines in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Utah and Alabama (see PDF link below).
MSHA exemplified its concerns by highlighted the performance of Sapphire Coal’s Advantage No.1 mine in Letcher County, Kentucky, where inspectors conducted a targeted conveyor belt inspection on August 31 and September 1.
Mine phones were taken over during the evaluation, and the operation received 42 citations, eight orders and one safeguard – including one order for belt misalignment.
“This condition, if uncorrected, could have led to a mine fire,” MSHA said.
“Seven of the orders and seven citations were issued for accumulations of combustible materials which, if left unchecked and in concert with other conditions, could potentially cause a mine fire or explosion.”
The agency also described a September 9 inspection conducted during the evening shift on September 9 at Left Fork Mining’s Straight Creek No. 1 operation in Bell County, Kentucky.
MSHA staff captured and monitored the mine’s phones to ensure no advance notification would be relayed to underground workers, as the operation had been cited once before for the infraction (the operator subsequently received an injunction in federal court).
During that inspection, 28 citations and 11 orders were issued to Straight Creek No. 1 for roof control plan violations, equipment maintenance infractions, improper guarding, electrical infractions and permissibility.
Other violations issued included inadequate examinations, lack of ventilation controls, not following the mine ventilation plan, and accumulations of combustible materials.
During the mine’s next regular safety and health inspection on October 14, federal staff found more violations at the operation for accumulations along the conveyer belt, for which it ordered the belt be stopped. That stoppage effectively halted the mine’s production.
“Mine operators are obligated to address all the problems that MSHA inspectors identify, yet some continue to violate standards and place miners at risk,” Main said.
“We will continue to target them and other operations that ignore fundamental safety and health laws. At the same time, we are beginning to see signs of improvement at some mines, an indication that these impact inspections are making a difference.”
See the attached PDF for a detailed list of the coal and metal/nonmetal mines cited by MSHA during September.
