Mine safety and health program safety and training information

The Mine Safety and Health Program is administered in Massachusetts by the Department of Labor Standards in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration.

The Mine Safety and Health Program is administered in Massachusetts by the Department of Labor Standards in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration. Under 30 CFR Part 56, safety and health standards are required to be in place for all surface metal/non-metal mines throughout the nation. Initial and annual refresher training of all mining employees is required as well (30 CFR Part 46). These requirements apply to the approximately 150 mining operations in Massachusetts and to their contractors, such as electricians, drillers, and blasters. The mining operations include sand and gravel pits, crushed stone operations, and quarries. Efforts by the Department of Labor Standards are focused on preventing injuries and illnesses by providing annual refresher training for miners and contractors and by conducting program audits

Mine safety plan requirements

(a) You must develop and implement a written plan, approved by us under either paragraph (b) or (c) of this section, that contains effective programs for training new miners and newly hired experienced miners, training miners for new tasks, annual refresher training, and site-specific hazard awareness training.

(b) A training plan is considered approved by us if it contains, at a minimum, the following information:

• The name of the production-operator or independent contractor, mine name(s), and MSHA mine identification number(s) or independent contractor identification number(s);
• The name and position of the person designated by you who is responsible for the health and safety training at the mine. This person may be the production-operator or independent contractor;
• A general description of the teaching methods and the course materials that are to be used in the training program, including the subject areas to be covered and the approximate time or range of time to be spent on each subject area.
• A list of the persons and/or organizations who will provide the training, and the subject areas in which each person and/or organization is competent to instruct; and
• The evaluation procedures used to determine the effectiveness of training.

(c) A plan that does not include the minimum information specified in paragraphs (b)(1) through (b)(5) of this section must be submitted to and approved by the Regional Manager, Educational Field Services Division or designee, for the region in which the mine is located. You also may voluntarily submit a plan for Regional Manager approval. You must notify miners or their representatives when you submit a plan for Regional Manager review. Within two weeks of receipt or posting of the plan, miners and their representatives may also request review and approval of the plan by the Regional Manager and must notify the production-operator or independent contractor of such request.

(d) You must provide the miners' representative, if any, with a copy of the plan at least two weeks before the plan is implemented or, if you request MSHA approval of your plan, at least two weeks before you submit the plan to the Regional Manager for approval. At mines where no miners' representative has been designated, you must post a copy of the plan at the mine or provide a copy to each miner at least two weeks before you implement the plan or submit it to the Regional Manager for approval.

(e) Within two weeks following the receipt or posting of the training plan under paragraph (d) of this section, miners or their representatives may submit written comments on the plan to you, or to the Regional Manager, as appropriate.

(f) The Regional Manager must notify you and miners or their representatives in writing of the approval, or status of the approval, of the training plan within 30 calendar days of the date we received the training plan for approval, or within 30 calendar days of the date we received the request by a miner or miners' representative that we approve the plan.

(g) You must provide the miners' representative, if any, with a copy of the approved plan within one week after approval. At mines where no miners' representative has been designated, you must post a copy of the plan at the mine or provide a copy to each miner within one week after approval.

(h) If you, miners, or miners' representatives wish to appeal a decision of the Regional Manager, you must send the appeal, in writing, to the Director for Educational Policy and Development, MSHA, 1100 Wilson Boulevard, Room 2100, Arlington, Virginia 22209-3939, within 30 calendar days after notification of the Regional Manager's decision. The Director will issue a final decision of the Agency within 30 calendar days after receipt of the appeal.

(i) You must make available at the mine a copy of the current training plan for inspection by us and for examination by miners and their representatives. If the training plan is not maintained at the mine, you must have the capability to provide the plan within one business day upon request by us, miners, or their representatives.

(j) You must comply with the procedures for plan approval under this section whenever the plan undergoes revisions.

(k) The addresses for the EFS Regional Managers are as follows. Current information on the EFS organization is available on the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration's (MSHA) website.

Eastern Regional Manager
Education Field Services
National Mine Health and Safety Academy
1301 Airport Road
Beaver. WV 25813-9426
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

Western Regional Manager
Educational Field Services
P.O. Box 25367
Denver, CO 80225-0367
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]