Dateline: 07/28/02

As America celebrates the amazing successful rescue of nine coal miners trapped three days in Pennsylvania's Quecreek No. 1 mine, let's take a moment to look at what the U.S. Government does to protect workers in one of the most dangerous trades on -- or under -- the Earth. [See: Miracle at Quecreek Mine, on About Pittsburgh, PA.] 

As is the case with all other working Americans, on-the-job safety of mining employees is overseen and regulated by agencies of the U.S. Department of Labor. 

Under the wider umbrella of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) works to completely eliminate fatal mining accidents; to reduce the frequency and severity of nonfatal accidents; to minimize health hazards related to mining; and to promote improved safety and health conditions in America's existing and future mines.

Taking its rulemaking and regulatory authority from the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (The Mine Act), MSHA inspects operations and enforces safety regulations at all mining and mineral processing operations in the United States, regardless of size, number of employees, commodity being mined, or mining methods used.

Have federal mine safety regulations been effective?
According to MSHA's historical data, 1,208 mining disasters involving five or more deaths took place from 1875 to 1975. Since 1976, only 14 such disasters have occurred. America's worst mining disaster, the 1907 Monongah coal mine explosion, claimed 362 lives and compelled Congress to create the Federal Bureau of Mines, the forerunner of today's MSHA.

Laws kept pace with changing industry
Since enactment of America's first mining safety laws in 1911, ever-stronger laws designed to keep abreast of changing methods and technological advancements in the mining industry have followed. The Mine Act of 1977, administered by MSHA, combined and extended all earlier mining laws.

What MSHA does to insure mine safety
Along with many more specific safety regulations, the Mine Act of 1977 requires MSHA to:

• Make at least four complete inspections of all underground operations yearly and at least two surface mine inspections a year.
  
  
• Issue detailed and constantly updated regulations on basic safety and health training for miners.
  
  
• Upgrade and strengthen existing mine safety and health laws.
  
  
• Identify and implement changes in the civil penalty system applying to rules violators, and encourage greater participation of miners or their representatives in lawful safety activities.

Laws alone are not enough
Much of the success of MSHA's efforts comes from the agency's understanding that federal regulations and enforcement alone cannot solve all safety and health problems. Early on, MSHA administrators realized that miners themselves, knowing their job best, should assume the point position for improving safety in their industry. As a result, MSHA strongly emphasizes the education and training of miners and managers in mine safety and health requirements as well as the use of engineering initiatives for reducing injuries.

There is little doubt that some of the mining safety improvements and regulations enacted and enforced by the Mine Safety and Health Administration helped those nine Pennsylvania coalminers survive their days of buried terror.

For more information on federal regulations and the rulemaking process see:
• Federal Regulations: A Primer
• Federal Regulations: Laws Behind the Acts