Washington — The Mine Safety and Health Administration “may be insufficiently prepared to handle multiple simultaneous mine emergencies” or a larger disaster, the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General says.
In a recent report, DOL OIG concludes that although industry stakeholders “generally reported positive feedback on MSHA’s response to past mine emergencies,” numerous lingering issues suggest the agency “needs to improve its preparedness.” They include:
- Keeping guidance up to date
- Ensuring equipment availability at mine rescue stations during emergencies
- Sufficiently training all staff involved with emergencies
DOL OIG contends that these concerns result from MSHA’s struggles to “effectively design or execute aspects of its internal control system, such as providing supervisory oversight and developing or following guidance.”
Ineffective emergency response protocol could trigger delays or confusion during lifesaving situations, DOL OIG adds.
The report lists 11 recommendations for MSHA. Among them:
- Provide refresher training on topics including requirements in MSHA’s guidance regarding district mine emergency response plans and requirements to complete incident investigation documentation.
- Develop guidance and training for district staffers on the use of certain enforcement activity and task codes, as well as mine emergency response plan requirements.
- Develop guidance that sets expectations for training requirements for MSHA staff who respond to mine emergencies, along with vehicle and equipment requirements for MSHA rescue stations.
- Analyze repeated challenges encountered in historical after-action reviews and verify implementation of corrective actions to improve future MSHA emergency response efforts.
MSHA administrator Wayne Palmer agreed with most of the recommendations in a written response but said some of the report’s findings may be the result of a “misunderstanding” between DOL OIG and MSHA.
Palmer addressed each recommendation individually.
“MSHA agrees with the importance of conducting periodic reviews of its directives/guidance to ensure their currency, accuracy and efficacy,” he wrote. “To that end, MSHA revalidates all agency directives on a regular basis and will continue to do so.”
