Human Resource Blog

MSHA: Mine Worker Safety in Wyoming

What agency regulates worker safety for miners in Wyoming?

Congress passed the first code of regulation for safety in mine in 1941, which is also the first time inspectors were allowed inside. In 1973, the Secretary of Interior established MESA (Mining Enforcement and Safety Administration) as a separate agency from the Bureau of Mines to oversee mine safety.

The current agency overseeing mine safety is MSHA (Mine Safety and Health Administration) a division of the Department of Labor set up in 1977 by the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act.

All types of mines in Wyoming and across the country are regulated by MSHA.

MSHA manages mine safety like OSHA, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, handles the safety of employees in other fields. Some states, including California, Hawaii, Indiana and Maryland has worker safety agencies at the state level. In these states, worker safety is handled by the state agency, except for mine workers. MSHA regulates employee safety for miners.

Interestingly, almost every state in country has some type of mine, ranging from gravel quarries to salt to coal and diamonds. All of these are covered by MSHA.

Recent years have posed some challenges for MSHA and mine safety. Three major mine accidents occurred in 2006. In January, an explosion occurred in the Sago Mine in Sago, West Virginia trapping 13 mines for nearly 48 hours. Only one survived.

Also in January, the Aracoma Alma Mine in Melville, West Virginia suffered a fire. Smoke filled the escape route and killed two miners. In May, five mine workers lost their lives to a methane explosion in the Darby Mine No. 1 in Kentucky.

MSHA hired additional inspectors, tightened regulations and enacted the MINER Act in June, 2006, a huge forward leap in miner safety. Some declare the changes didn’t hit the mark. The August, 2007, Crandall Canyon Mine accident may validate that view.

Mining can be extremely dangerous, but it is safer now than in the past. Prior to 1910 over 2,000 people died in mines every year. Since MSHA was established in 1977 mineworker deaths dropped from 272 in 1977 to 86 in 2000. JH