MSHA stakeholder meeting in Lebanon, VA. |
The Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) Headquarters routinely conducts stakeholder calls. These calls were traditionally nationwide calls and very general in content. Recently MSHA leadership encouraged the MSHA district offices to conduct stakeholder meetings in their districts with operators within their purview.
All mining operations in Virginia fall under the Norton District headquartered in southwest Virginia. The Norton district conducted its stakeholder meeting in Lebanon, VA on March 7. VTCA was represented by over a dozen safety professionals from VTCA Members in attendance.
MSHA provided an update on recent accidents and the newly implemented Safety Program for Surface Mobile Equipment and coordinated presentations from the industry on Safety Technologies.
The in-person event also provided opportunities for dialogue and idea sharing. It also served to reiterate the goals of the operators and MSHA are aligned with a focus on providing accident-free workplaces for our miners.
VTCA followed up with MSHA leadership on our support for continuing in-person events with the Norton district.