MSHA Information
Mission Statement
" The mission of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is to administer the provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine Act), as amended by the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006 (MINER Act), and to enforce compliance with mandatory safety and health standards as a means to eliminate fatal accidents; to reduce the frequency and severity of nonfatal accidents; to minimize health hazards; and to promote improved safety and health conditions in the Nation's mines."
- MSHA.gov website circa 2008
Purpose
The purpose of MSHA is to enforce applicable health and safety standards which relate to both surface and underground mines. The requirement of the Mine Act states that each surface mine shall be inspected twice a year, while underground mines are to be inspected at least 4 times a year. MSHA Accomplishes this by investigating mine accidents, mine hazard complaints and other worker-submitted complaints.
Background
MSHA was essentially created to enfore the legislation of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977.
In the year 2000, MSHA inspected approximately 15,000 mines across the country.
Links and Resources
| MSHA.gov (US Department of Labor) The official website of MSHA. |
Mine Safety and Health Network |
| Wikipedia MSHA Entry | SafetyMine Directory Directory of Mine Safety and Health Services |
| NIOSH Mining Mining Safety and Health Research |