If the agency meets its goal it would be a first in at least six years. Stickler told the event's record industry crowd Thursday its 100% inspection plan, which was still being implemented, calls for overtime provisions as well as temporary reassignment of inspection staff to areas of lower coverage.
While the preliminary figures for its first fiscal quarter ended January 1 were still being computed, Stickler told media outlets the outlook looked promising. "They feel pretty confident that if we didn't make 100 percent, we're pretty close," he told the Associated Press Thursday afternoon.
The agency's abilities and capabilities to review the nation's total 731 underground mines would be impacted by groups of inspector trainees that continue to graduate from its academy in Beaver, West Virginia. With 263 enforcement personnel hired, its net gain after expected retirements would be about 177, he said.
Stickler also took the opportunity to provide updates on several components of the MINER Act that have already been implemented or were seeing progress. One of those projects was its web-based self-contained self-rescuer database, which went online so operations could more easily report their inventories.
As of January, the database had been populated with records for more than 71,000 SCSR units. He complimented mines for their attention to the issue, as the compiled records would allow for future communications on recalls or other issues as well as the agency's random selection process for evaluation of units in service at operations.
Another area of progress is regarding MSHA's violation structure for flagrant violations, which each carry a maximum fine of $US220,000. As of this month, Stickler said 15 flagrant violations had been issued to US mines and 22 more were in process, four of which carry the maximum penalty.
Also, recent statistics from MSHA reflect an increase of more than 100% for violations between 2006 and 2007, Stickler said on the topic of compliance. About $35 million in fines were assessed to the nation's mines in 2006, a figure that grew last year to more than $74 million.
That data was directly in line with the agency's measured levels of coal violations per inspection hour. In the last two years, the figure has risen from 0.19 to 0.21 - a continued upward trend from 2003, when the rate was 0.13.
However, injury rates were on their way down at mines, a testament to the industry's safety focus. According to agency statistics, a rate of 5.64 recorded in 2003 was down to 4.55 in 2006, and preliminary reports show was reduced once again last year to 4.28.
With continued work in other areas of the Act, including its ongoing investigation of 48 communication and tracking systems, a re-opening of comment for its seal ETS (its final rule will be published later this year), and the completion of its staff training for the new Family Liaison Program which will allow family members to have a federal agency contact following an accident, Stickler said work continues at a strong pace at the agency.
"We've made great strides in implementing [the components of] the MINER Act ... we still have much work to do."
The WVCA Symposium runs through to Friday.
