MSHA to mining community: Let’s all stand down for safety

Arlington, VA — The Mine Safety and Health Administration’s second annual Stand Down to Save Lives is set for May 22.

The event is aimed at ensuring everyone in the mining community “takes steps to prevent fatalities” and employers instill “a robust safety and health culture.” MSHA encourages stakeholders to:

• Engage in open discussions about common hazards.
• Conduct thorough and detailed examinations of workplaces and equipment.
• Participate in safety training sessions designed to enhance awareness and preparedness.

“Stand Down to Save Lives is an opportunity for the entire mining community to prioritize and commit to ensuring the health and safety of all miners,” MSHA head Chris Williamson said in a press release. “As we have learned throughout the years, we succeed when we work together, and miners are safer and healthier as a result.”

Six miners have died on the job as of May 15. That’s 12 fewer than MSHA observed over the first 5½ months of last year. The agency recorded 40 miner deaths in 2023, the highest total in the past nine years.

“Although this progress is encouraging, even one miner fatality is still one too many,” Williamson wrote in a May 13 letter to the mining industry.