During the month of March, federal inspectors issued 134 citations, orders and safeguards at eight coal mines and eight metal/nonmetal mines. The coal operations received 55 citations, four orders and one safeguard while the metal/nonmetal mines were issued 69 citations and five orders.

In February, MSHA issued 166 citations and orders at seven coal mines and one dimension stone quarry; coal mines made up 127 citations and four orders of the total and the quarry was hit with 27 citations and eight orders.

The figures are well below reported numbers for the agency’s impact inspections in January. During that month, the agency issued 377 citations and orders at 15 operations, including 208 citations and seven orders at coal mines and 148 citations and 14 orders at metal/nonmetal operations.

“Although we believe these impact inspections are making a positive difference for miners, some operators apparently aren’t getting the message that it is ultimately their responsibility to find and fix problems at their mines,” assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health Joseph Main said.

“When operators take that responsibility seriously, miners are safer and healthier.”

MSHA examined the performance of one Tennessee mine targeted, the S and H Mining complex in Campbell County. During the evening shift March 11, federal investigators arrived at the site, where they captured and monitored the phone system after the start of production.

Among the agency’s discoveries were conditions and practices posing electrocution hazards, and a missing certification to indicate that a pre-shift examination had been conducted at the mine’s No. 2 conveyor belt head drive power center.

Inspectors also found an unguarded high-voltage cable which was used to supply power to a conveyor belt head drive. Footprints were found on the cable, indicating to officials that miners had been exposed to the hazard. A damaged trailing cable was also found on a roof bolting machine on the section, again posing a shock hazard to workers.

“The CO monitoring system along the conveyor belt was not properly installed, and there was a defective CO sensor along the belt flight,” MSHA inspectors noted in their report of the mine’s impact inspection.

“The belt conveyor entry also had accumulations of combustible materials up to 7 inches in depth along the belt and 12 inches at the head drive. Although the accumulations were wet, under continued mining operations, this condition could pose fire, smoke inhalation or explosion hazards.”

Inadequate roof support conditions were also observed by inspectors, as was a continuous mining machine that had exceeded the mine’s roof control plan by clipping the corners of coal pillars and created excessive intersection widths, compromising coal pillar stability.

MSHA also illustrated the performance of ICG Knott County’s Classic operation in Knott County, Kentucky, where inspectors arrived for an impact inspection during the evening shift of March 4.

After capturing and monitoring the mine’s phone system, inspectors issued four unwarrantable failure orders for float coal dust accumulations, coal dust and loose coal along four conveyor belts.

“The accumulations measured up to a distance of 2000 feet along one belt conveyor and in depths up to 14 inches,” the agency said, commenting that the condition had been noted in examination books in the four prior shifts but no apparent efforts had been made to remove the materials.

“If left uncorrected, the condition could have led to a mine fire,” MSHA added.

“The operator had been cited 51 times in the last two years for violations of Code of Federal Regulations section 75.400.”

Since April 2010, MSHA has conducted 244 impact inspections. These inspections have resulted in 4392 citations, 405 orders and 14 safeguards.

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

The push involved mines that merit increased attention and enforcement by MSHA due to a 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 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.

Please click on the PDF document to the right of screen under related links and downloads to view MSHA's monthly impact inspections list for March.