Department of Labor completed impact inspections at 16 mines with histories of repeated safety, health violations in July 2024 | U.S. Department of Labor

Oct 14, 2024

News Release

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration completed impact inspections at 16 mines in 10 states in July 2024, issuing 239 violations and one safeguard.

The agency began conducting impact inspections after an April 2010 explosion in West Virginia at the Upper Big Branch Mine killed 29 miners.

MSHA’s impact inspections since 2023 have identified 4,314 violations, including 1,189 significant and substantial and 82 unwarrantable failure findings. An S&S violation is one that could contribute in a significant and substantial way to the cause and effect of a safety or health hazard. Violations designated as unwarrantable failures occur when an inspector finds aggravated conduct that constitutes more than ordinary negligence.

The agency conducts impact inspections at mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement due to poor compliance history; previous accidents, injuries, and illnesses; and other compliance concerns. Of the 239 violations in July 2024, MSHA evaluated 70 as S&S and 11 had unwarrantable failure findings. The agency completed these inspections at mines in Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.

“July impact inspections resulted in a troubling number of unwarrantable failure findings, representing serious safety and health hazards that operators knew put miners at risk and should have corrected,” said Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health Chris Williamson. “Impact inspections remain an important tool to hold operators accountable and eliminate hazards such as combustible materials near belts, hazards that history shows can unfortunately cause mine fires and lost lives.”

The details of two July 2024 impact inspections at mines in Utah and West Virginia are as follows:

Gentry Mine #3: Operated by Gentry Mountain Mining LLC in Emery County, Utah, this underground coal mine was selected due to its poor compliance history. After inspectors arrived at the mine on July 16, 2024, MSHA personnel monitored the mine’s communication system until inspectors reached underground work areas. MSHA inspectors identified 23 violations of mandatory safety and health standards, including six evaluated as S&S. Specifically, inspectors found the following conditions:

Belcher Branch: Operated by Frontier Coal Co. in Wyoming County, West Virginia, this coal mine was also selected for an impact inspection due to its enforcement history. Between July 1, 2023, to June 3, 2024, MSHA issued 334 violations at this mine, including 13 unwarrantable failure orders. In July 2024, inspectors cited 20 violations of mandatory safety and health standards, including 11 evaluated as S&S and eight unwarrantable failure findings. Specifically, inspectors found the following conditions:

Learn more about MSHA.

View MSHA monthly impact inspections results, including those for July 2024.