MSHA Issues Nearly 150 Citations at Mines in July

Federal mining regulators nearly 150 citations during July impact inspections.

The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration says it also issued 16 orders following inspections at nine coal mines and four other mines.

MSHA issued 13 citations and 11 orders at Affinity Coal Company’s Affinity Mine in Raleigh County, W.Va. Violations included a foreman riding as a passenger in the bucket of a rubber-tired scoop, failing to follow an approved ventilation plan and accumulation of combustible material. Officials say there already have been two fatalities involving scoops this year at the Affinity Mine.

The inspections began in 2010 after a mine explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia that killed 29 coal miners.

Since then MSHA has conducted 642 inspections and issued 10,789 citations and 996 orders.