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Stakeholder Consultation

Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)

Department of Labor (DOL)

DRAFT Strategic Plan FY 2010-2016

Draft: March 17, 2010

Mine Safety and Health Administration Overview

Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)– Mission: The purpose of the Mine Safety and Health Administration is

to prevent death, disease, and injury from mining and to promote safe and healthful workplaces for the nation’s miners.

– Leadership: Assistant Secretary Joseph A. Main ▪ Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy – Gregory R. Wagner, M.D.

▪ Deputy Assistant Secretary for Operations – Michael A. Davis

– Organization: Personnel: 2425 total Full Time Equivalent (FTE) 210 FTE in the Headquarters 2215 FTE in the District Offices Current FY 2010 Resources: $357 million

MSHA Goals

MSHA work focuses on the following Department of Labor Strategic and Outcome Goals:

DOL Strategic Goal: Ensure workplaces are safe and healthy.

– Outcome Goal: Secure safe and healthy workplaces, particularly in high-risk industries.

DOL Strategic Goal: Assure fair and high quality

work-life environments.– Outcome Goal: Ensure worker voice in the workplace.

Mine Safety and Health Administration Results

MSHA is considering a number of measurements to track progress to include:

– Five year rolling average of fatal injuries per 200,000 hours worked;– Percent of inspector respirable dust samples exceeding the standard for

Designated Occupations;– Percentage of MNM mines conducting their own silica dust surveys and noise

evaluations;– Percent of high hazard impoundments inspected;– Long-term improvement in inspection results for mines receiving potential

pattern of violations notices;– Preparedness of MSHA, the mine industry, and mine rescue teams to respond

to emergencies; and– Time required to process and complete investigations of discrimination

complaints.

Do you believe these are the right outcomes? Do you believe these are the right measures for those outcomes?

Mine Safety and Health Administration Strategies

We are using new and better approaches:– Targeting the most common causes of fatal mine accidents and disasters;– Reducing exposure to health risks from mine dusts and other contaminants;– Improving training of miners including new and inexperienced miners and – contractors;– Targeting the most egregious and persistent violators; and– Improving mine emergency response preparedness by MSHA and the mining

industry.

Our strategies to achieve these goals include:– Enhancing enforcement of miners’ rights to report hazardous conditions with

protection against retaliation;– Targeting special areas of concern for improvement including impoundment

safety, proximity detection systems to prevent crushing injuries in underground mines, and consistency of training and enforcement;

– Bolstering MSHA’s special investigations to protect miners’ rights to a safe, healthy and discrimination free workplace; and

– Encouraging and enforcing a focus on prevention.

Mine Safety and Health Administration Strategies (continued)

Our strategies (Continued) Reduce fatalities by: – Thorough inspections and robust enforcement; – Stakeholder outreach, education and training;– Improved regulations;– Targeting for special emphasis the most common causes

of fatal accidents through initiatives such as “Rules to Live By”;

– Prevention-oriented health and safety management programs; and

– Mine emergency preparedness, training and consistency improvements.

Mine Safety and Health Administration Strategies

Our strategies (Continued) Reduce the health risks to miners by:

– Controlling and reducing exposure to respirable coal mine dust, silica, and noise and other health hazards;

– Implementation of stakeholder outreach, education and training, enhanced enforcement and improved regulations such as the comprehensive black lung reduction initiative; and

– Fostering an industry culture in which mine operators take ownership of health and safety through effective, prevention-oriented health and safety management programs.

Protect miners’ rights against discrimination for exercising rights under the Mine Act such as reporting hazardous conditions by:

– Effectively communicating information about miners’ rights; and– Shortening the time required to process and complete

investigation of discrimination complaints.

Do these strategies make sense to you?

MSHA Asks the Stakeholders

Are these outcomes worth achieving? Are there other outcomes MSHA should focus on?

Have we identified good strategies? Are there others?

Are these good measures of progress and success? What other measures would be useful?

Questions

If you would like to send comments to DOL or to learn more about the DOL strategic planning

process, please visit http://www.dol.gov/strategicplan2010.