MSHA Program Encourages Miners, Management to Work Together

By Anonymous

HEALTH AND SAFETY

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) initiated a safety and health program to help miners and mine operators focus on human factors, such as decision- making.

“Make the Right Decision” encourages miners and mine management to work together on safety and health issues.

Through “Make the Right Decision,” miners and mine management will receive tools to help them recognize hazards and take appropriate action to correct or avoid risks.

As part of the educational initiative, MSHA officials will conduct safety talks with miners and mine operators at mine sites nationwide. They will also distribute posters, stickers and fliers with campaign messages.

Agency representatives plan to incorporate two programs in the “Make-the-Right-Decision” campaign. The first is SLAM, an acronym for stop, look, analyze and manage. The second is SMART, an acronym for stop, measure, act, review and train. Together, these programs address the spectrum of safety decisions made in the mining workplace, from risk assessment at the miner level to risk management at the operator level.

MSHA’s enhanced safety push also will reach out to mining industry contractors. Contractor deaths constitute a disproportionate number of the fatal accidents in the mining industry. Agency officials will increase efforts to help contractors improve their safety and health programs.

The safety campaign complements MSHA’s ongoing efforts to help mining operations comply with and better understand federal mining laws and regulations. This includes assistance from officials of the MSHA Small Mines Office for those operations with fewer than five miners.

Information about “Make the Right Decision” can be viewed on the Internet at www.msha.gov.

Copyright Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc. Sep 2005