Pit & Quarry, April 2017

safety UPdATe dol To rEviEw workplacE ExaM rulE T he U S Department of Labor DOL will review a Mine Safety Health Administration MSHA rule on workplace examinations reports the National Stone Sand Gravel Association NSSGA According to NSSGA Patricia Silvey MSHA deputy assistant secretary for operations told the association that stakeholder outreach was originally slated to begin in March but will now proceed at an appropriate According to MSHA effective workplace exams are a fundamental accident prevention tool that allow mine operators to find and fix adverse conditions and violations of safety and health standards before they cause injury or death to miners time Silvey says she doesnt expect any change over the next month or so The rule was published in the Federal Register on Jan 23 and is set to go into effect May 23 The rule requires examinations before work begins in a work area The rule requires the examiner to note his or her name adverse conditions found during an exam the exam dates and any abatements made It also requires miners be notified of any hazards found during the examination SME To offEr SafETy and hEalTh cErTificaTion T he Society for Mining Metallurgy Exploration SME acquired the Certified Mine Safety Professional CMSP and the Mine Safety Professional MSP credentials following discussions with the International Society of Mine Safety Professionals ISMSP According to SME the CMSP is the only mine safety specific certification in the world ISMSP was formed in 1991 and the CMSP was created to give certification to non degreed professionals SMEs Health Safety Division will manage the certification programs going forward The certification ensures a measure of competency based on qualifications such as experience education and performance a mechanism to facilitate codification of the body of knowledge that defines the scope of effective safety and health management a defined code of ethics or conducts to remain in good standing and credibility that enhances the relationship between mining organizations government agencies insurance companies customers and contractors SME adds h a r d n u m b e r s 1000000 The MIne SAfeTY HeAlTH AdMInISTRATIon MSHA will award up to 1 million in grants for education and training programs designed to identify avoid and prevent unsafe working conditions in and around the nations mines nSSGa naMES SafETy hEalTh profESSional of ThE yEar The National Stone Sand Gravel Association NSSGA honored Randy Mucha the corporate director of health and safety for Lehigh Hanson with its James M Christie Safety Health Professional of the Year Award According to NSSGA the award recognizes an individual for substantial contributions and commitment to safe and health practices within his or her company and the aggregate industry Over four years Muchas approach to implementing health and safety initiatives has resulted in a 20 percent improvement in Lehigh Hansons injury rate across its 550 sites and 9000 employees NSSGA says Mucha is also a past chairman of NSSGAs safety and health subcommittee and served on the Mine Safety Health Administration NSSGA Alliance Randy has made a substantial impact on safety and health throughout the entire United States says Mike Johnson NSSGA president and CEO His leadership in safety matters illustrates our entire industrys commitment to working safely 60 PIT QUARRY April 2017 pitandquarry com photo by kevin yanik BROUGHT TO YOU BY OUR MISSION IS SAFETY Austin Powder Company 25800 Science Park Drive Cleveland OH USA 44122 216 464 2400 www austinpowder com Our commitment to safety includes our manufacturing storage technical and blasting services We strive to be the safest explosives manufacturer supplier and blasting company in the world