Safety Starts at the TOP and Trickles Down
March 13, 2018Impact Safety helps construction employees to reduce risk and increase safety awareness
March 23, 2018Technology Now Under Our Feet
On February 23rd, 2018 The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) initiated the deployment of a Mobile Inspection Application System (Mobile IAS) to further enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of mine inspectors and to better carry out MSHA’s core mission of promoting the health and safety of America’s miners. Nearly 1,500 federal mine inspectors across the nation and enforcement staff will benefit from this new technology.
The Mobile IAS replaces an 18-year-old system that required mine inspectors to carry bulky laptops, cameras, reference material, and documentation from previous inspections. The new Mobile IAS integrates all of these features into one application to provide the latest technologies that securely store and transfer data while improving ease of use.
Among the features of MSHA’s Mobile IAS are:
- A Windows-based, lightweight, semi-ruggedized tablet with a camera, video, voice recording, touch screen, digital pen, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi capability to facilitate data capture and streamline the inspection process.
- An application built on Microsoft’s Universal Windows platform with photo capture and fillable, pre-populated forms.
- Service-oriented architecture for efficient data transfer among devices and the MSHA Standardized Information System.
Penalties for Mine’s Violations
Proposed penalties for safety and health violations are assessed by MSHA’s Office of Assessments according to a formula that considers five factors:
1) history of previous violations;
2) size of the business;
3) any negligence by the operator;
4) gravity of the violation; and
5) the operator’s good faith in trying to correct the violation promptly.
A Proposed Assessment and Statement of Account is mailed to the mine operator. Upon receipt, a mine operator has 30 days to pay or contest the citation or penalty to the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission. If a penalty becomes 150 days delinquent, it is referred to the Department of Treasury for collection. Penalties may be paid electronically at Pay.Gov, a service of the U.S. Treasury, or by U.S. mail using a remittance coupon included in the assessment statement.
Do you have specific questions about MSHA training or OSHA safety training? Let us help your team take a systematic approach to safety. Call today to learn more! 706-790-6828
Services offered:
- MSHA Pt 46 – New Miner Training
- MSHA Pt 48
