The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is the Federal agency charged with the duty and responsibility of overseeing all mining activity in the United States. MSHA derives its authority from the Federal Mine Safety Act of 1977. Since the original enactment of the 1977 law, MSHA’s original authority to regulate the mining industry, which typically included the coal industry, open pit mining of ore bodies, and shaft operations has expanded. MSHA currently regulates any business or entity which engages in the crushing, screening, sizing, or processing of natural rock, sand, and gravel resources.
The primary focus of MSHA is to ensure the Health and Safety of the personnel who work as miners or operators of machinery and equipment at the nation’s mines, quarries, and sand and gravel operations. MSHA concerns itself with issues such as:
Proper training programs for new and experienced miners.
Safe operation of machinery or equipment, ensuring that operators are qualified and that machinery and equipment are inspected daily.
Equipment inspections include the removal or “tagging out” of any unsafe machinery or equipment, thus precluding its use until proper repairs have been performed.
Review of all physical attributes at the mine, quarry, or sand and gravel site to include things such as safety berm heights and haul routes, ensuring there is no access to unprotected drop-offs or unsafe areas, verifying that all of the equipment and machinery has proper guarding and operates safely, and verifying that all needed signage is in place.
Review compliance of the use of personal protective equipment such as steel-toed boots, safety vests, eye protection, hearing protection, and hard hats.
Review records of noise level monitoring and airborne particle monitoring.
Make sure any visitors to the site are properly managed and not allowed to enter areas where operations are in progress.
Make sure that anyone who comes to the site for a contributive function such as repairs or trucking receives site-specific Hazard Awareness Training.
The foregoing is a very brief review of some of the important aspects of MSHA compliance requirements and some of what a MSHA inspection could include.
It is important to remember that SAFETY at our site is our preeminent goal, more important than making and selling rock. This is because, if we cannot produce our products in compliance with the safety requirements of our industry, then our ability to produce anything will be in question.
If we are lucky enough to have you as a customer, it is crucial that if and when you visit Ringo Canyon Granite, LLC. that you faithfully follow what is expressed on all signage at our site, and that you comply with any verbal instructions you receive. We all need to cooperate and follow the spirit and intent of what MSHA has set forth so that our site is a safe site and all persons, whether they are on-site personnel or visitors to our site, are not exposed to danger or harm.
Please accept our sincerest thanks for your cooperation.
