Mobile Equipment Final Rule By MSHA For Contractors To Abide

According to the latest rule put forward by the Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA), all mine owners, heavy equipment suppliers, and contractors need to establish a written safety plan.

This plan must cover areas of work as well as underground construction operations. For mines, it must include surface mines and underground mine work too.

Although the mobile equipment final rule allows belt conveyor to steer clear of. However, the contractors and linked miners must include all the potential and relevant safety hazards.

What Do Officials At MSHA Plan To Act?

According to the assistant secretary at MSHA, Chris Williamson, “As per the fatal machinery and serious powered haulage incidents recorded in the last years, MSHA wants to implement this final rule for mobile equipment users to enhance and strictly apply safety protections for workers on-site at mobile or any other heavy moving machinery.”

He further continued by saying, “MSHA strives to educate mobile and heavy machinery fleet owners to strongly comply with safety regulations to prevent the lives of workers through this mobile equipment final rule.”

The recent report collected by MSHA states how the reckless consumption of mobile equipment on the field puts workers’ lives at risk.

MSHA clearly states that they want to work better for the construction and mining industry by educating them about hazard mitigation approaches to safely use mobile equipment.

They convey their aim to improve safety during equipment usage in the final rule for mobile equipment.

In the last year 2023, improper handling of mobile equipment put a total of 40 workers’ lives at risk. MSHA declares 10 out of it due to powered haulage mishandling. Whereas 16 incidents fall into the category of machinery accidents.

The increasing cases were alarming enough to step forward as an active safety implementation society like MSHA to take some serious actions against fatalities.

The Future Plans

Previously in the year 2023, Williamson sent an open letter to the relevant industries.

The letter was all about notifying them that MSHA will continue to put its best foot forward in combating mobile equipment and heavy moving machinery-related health challenges.

MSHA titled the letter “Stand Down to Save Lives” to boldly convey the objective behind it.

Till now, MSHA wants to boost feet owners, contractors, and mining industry owners to come ahead with secure mobile equipment regulations for the long-term betterment of their labor resources.

Moreover, meetings with district managers will discuss plans, and officials will disclose further safety regulations.