Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (known as OSHA and MSHA, respectively) are two federal agencies with similar missions of regulating and enforcing workplace safety in the United States. But that doesn’t mean that the relationship between the two entities should be viewed with a “to-may-to, to-mah-to” level […]
Unloading a dump truck can be a hazardous operation, particularly when the ground is uneven or when the load is being delivered into a pit. This is a common scenario at mining sites. Moreover, dump trucks loaded with coal can face even higher risks because the load can be wet, freeze in the bed, and […]
In a notice, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) says it is beginning a retrospective study on how effective its 2014 final rule has been in lowering the exposure of underground and surface miners to respirable coal dust.
Bulldozers, front-end loaders, haul trucks, and other large mobile equipment at surface mines have been involved in the deaths of 61 miners since 2007. Unfortunately, an argument can be made that conditions that cause these fatalities are not improving with time. For example, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) notes that in 2017, nearly […]
Earlier this year, former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship was brought to trial on charges of conspiracy to violate mandatory federal mine safety and health standards, conspiracy to impede federal mine safety officials, making false statements to the Securities and Exchange Commission, and securities fraud. Blankenship faced up to 31 years in prison on the […]
Today’s Advisor reports a “good news” story about how effective training saves lives. When three miners became trapped in a lead zinc mine in January 2010 in Bunker, Missouri, rescue teams worked together to save them, applying what they had learned in training to a real-life test of their skills. The U.S. Department of Labor’s […]
Controlling combustible dust hazards is essential for preventing catastrophic accidents, and control begins with assessment and training. OSHA says that facilities that may have combustible dust hazards should carefully identify the following in order to assess their potential for dust explosions: Materials that can be combustible when finely divided Processes which use, consume, or produce […]
Impressive safety practices and a commitment to employee protection earned eight Indiana businesses 2014 Governor’s Workplace Safety Awards. Could one of their award-winning ideas work at your company? “These companies represent the best of the best,” said Indiana Department of Labor Commissioner Rick Ruble when presenting the state’s 2014 Governor’s Workplace Safety Awards. “They demonstrate […]
Organizations with strong safety cultures tend to experience low levels of risky behavior and low accident rates, turnover, and absenteeism as well as high productivity. To strengthen your safety culture, here’s a list of suggestions: Give away ownership. In the strongest safety cultures, everyone feels responsible for safety. A worker who notices another worker without […]
How well are you communicating safety? Benchmark these recommendations against your performance and share them with frontline supervisors. Establish a clear-cut, easy, nonthreatening method for employees to make safety suggestions or register safety concerns. This could be a dedicated Web page, a traditional suggestion box, or a mail slot in your office. Act promptly on […]