By Kerry Clines

June 18, 2018 - The year 2018 is on track to be the least fatal year in United States mining history, Mining Technology reports. As of June 5, 2018, there had been four metal/non-metal mine fatalities and four coal mine fatalities — a total of eight mining-related fatalities. This is an improvement over 10 fatalities in 2017 and 13 fatalities in 2016 during the same time period, and if it continues at this pace, the mining industry could see a significant improvement over 2017’s 28 fatalities.

A focus on safety around machinery is believed to have contributed to the reduction in U.S. mining fatalities. According to the news agency, the International Council on Mining and Metals reported only one fatality involving equipment in 2017 among its member companies.

Plus, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) announced a new mobile inspection application system (IAS) in February 2018 that would be deployed across the U.S. to help inspectors do their work.

“Enabling mine inspectors to work more efficiently means more time to focus on the health and safety of America’s miners,” said MSHA assistant secretary David G. Zatezalo, according to the news outlet. “MSHA’s Mobile IAS is expected to improve the quality of information by eliminating redundancy and provide more timely information for inspectors.”

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