MSHA chief pledges continued enforcement, outreach on behalf of nation's miners

ARLINGTON, Va. - Mining fatalities in the United States significantly increased in 2010, following a year marked by the fewest deaths in mining history, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration. Seventy-one miners died on the job last year, compared to 34 in 2009. Forty-eight of those deaths occurred in coal mines, and 23 occurred at metal and nonmetal operations.

MSHA releases online compliance tool to assist aggregate mine operators

The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration, along with the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association, today announced the release of a comprehensive compilation of education and training tools for the aggregates industry. "Safety Pro in a Box" is an online repository of compliance assistance materials aimed at mine operators new to the industry, especially small mine operators.

Federal judge hands down preliminary injunction against Rosebud Mining Co. in Pennsylvania

ARLINGTON, Va. - The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that a federal judge with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania has issued a preliminary injunction against Rosebud Mining Co. In a federal lawsuit filed on Dec. 30, 2010, MSHA claimed that personnel at the company's Mine 78 in Somerset County, Pa., and Tracy Lynne Mine in Armstrong County, Pa., provided advance notice of federal inspectors' arrival, which violates Section 103(a) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977.