Correspondence

Dear Assistant Secretary Main:

I respectfully request information and documents relating to the Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration’s (MSHA) injury and illness rates for MSHA personnel. The safety and health of MSHA personnel, as well as all workers, is of the utmost importance.

Unfortunately, MSHA’s injury and illness rate is alarmingly high, raising serious concerns about the effectiveness of MSHA’s internal illness and injury prevention activities. In the last five years, MSHA had an average of 5.69 injuries/illnesses per 100 employees. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, MSHA had 121 total recordable injuries or illnesses or 5.2 injuries/illnesses per 100 employees.  MSHA experienced 35 lost time cases for a rate of 1.5 per 100 employees and nearly three times the number of total injury and illness cases as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Further, the most recent data available suggest the mining industry injury rate was 2.81 per 100 employees.

To read the full letter, click here.

To read the response by the Department of Labor, click here.

To read the most recent correspondence from Chairman Kline, click here.

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