MSHA issues seasonal safety alert during ‘deadliest month’ for miners

Arlington, VA – A new safety initiative from the Mine Safety and Health Administration aims to protect miners at a time of the year when they need it most.

MSHA recently announced additional outreach and enforcement efforts to improve safety at metal and non-metal mines during seasonal transitions. October typically is the deadliest month for miners, MSHA says, as miners perform shutdown activities and take apart portable plants. Many worker fatalities that occur in October involve powered haulage and machinery incidents.

As part of its efforts, MSHA published a seasonal safety alert. The document offers a summary of hazardous tasks and conditions, as well as best practices associated with disassembling conveyors, transporting and storing sections, and accessing floating pump decks, among other activities.

“MSHA’s heightened vigilance during this period will focus additional resources on preventing accidents at both intermittent and full-time mining operations, and we will look hard for the conditions that have led to mining deaths,” MSHA administrator Joseph A. Main said in a press release. “We strongly encourage the mining industry to join us in these efforts.”