Designing the Perfect Mining Orientation

If we look at the historical figures provided by The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), mining injuries and fatalities have been in a downward decline in the US since the late 1980’s. These detailed figures only go up to 2015 but indicators are that this trend is going to continue. As of writing, 2018 is on track to have the fewest fatalities in US mining in history. However, this still means that 16 workers will have perished on the job in 2018 so by no means is the problem solved. For every fatality in the United States, MSHA produces an in-depth report on the cause of death. These make for upsetting reading as the conclusion of almost every report is that a fatality could have been avoided if the correct safety procedures had been followed.  

The encouraging trend of decreasing injuries and fatalities in the US largely holds true globally. The number of mining fatalities among 28 of the world’s 40 largest mining companies has fallen by 37%  in 2018 compared to the previous year, according to their own disclosures. These 40 companies have a shared goal of zero fatalities so no one is resting on their laurels but these figures are generally encouraging.

There are several reasons why mining is getting safer:

• Safer work environments
• Better training
• Better technology available to workers
• More automation putting fewer workers at risk
• Higher health and safety standards

How MSHA Keeps Workers Safe

Despite the steady improvements in safety, mining is still one of the most dangerous jobs you can have. There are a wide variety of hazards that must be safeguarded against. This is why onboarding your contractors and ensuring they get a quality safety orientation is so important. When designing your orientation it is good practice to look at the content available on the MSHA website. On the website, they provide a great deal of useful information that can be used in mining orientations. The content is broken down by the mine type and includes health tips, programs, and material that can be used to prevent occupational illnesses and injuries in the mining industry. Here is our summary of designing the perfect mining contractor orientation. 

An online contractor management platform is a great fit for mining orientations because of the customization available to safety managers. You can design the perfect orientation depending on the mine type, be it surface coal mining or underground metal mining using information from the MSHA.   

Protecting Workers in Surface Coal Mining

Coal mining is the most common type of mining in the US and has been the mine type involved in half the fatalities so far in 2018, according to the MSHA. Surface coal mining is particularly common in the US and produces the majority of the country’s coal. Surface mining can be done in a variety of methods but involves removing the top layer of rock and soil to get at the mineral underneath. Strip mining is a common form of surface mining and is used to produce coal. Doing this requires some of the most powerful machinery used in any industrial activity as you are literally moving the earth. Safety is paramount with such powerful and potentially dangerous machinery being used.

MSHA provides a wealth of content on how to protect workers involved in surface coal mining. In your orientation be sure to include details on:

• Dust hazards
• Chemical hazards
• Explosions
• Heavy machinery
• Noise reduction
• Correct PPE practices
• Working in confined spaces
• Heat stress
• Gas explosions
• Cold Stress

Importance of Site-Specific Content

There are some topics in mining orientations that can be covered with generic content i.e. manual handling, correct PPE practices. However, even broad training categories like these are best covered in a site-specific context. Mines differ a lot depending on the kind of mine and training should be designed to reflect this reality. The hazards involved in strip mining are very different from those involved in underground metal mining.

In traditional orientations, a safety manager or local site manager would provide site-specific orientations to new workers. While this was often at a high standard there were inconsistencies that were cause for concern. Individual managers would put their own ‘spin’ on the material which meant that not all workers across an organization would receive a standardized level of training. This problem is magnified when you take into account that workers in heavy industry are often spread across multiple sites and projects. This may seem like a small problem but for large mining companies who emphasize safety, it’s a significant concern.  

Using GoContractor for your MSHA Orientations

It makes sense to use an online platform for your mining orientations so that you can create customizable orientations for all your workers. GoContractor is the best solution for your mining contractors onboarding

• Approve and verify contractor companies before they start work
• Use Identity Capture to verify your worker’s identity before they step foot on-site
• Simple and powerful course builder that allows you to build slides and videos
• Make your content accessible to workers of different nationalities using GoContractor’s multilingual functionality
• Include site-specific content (MSHA mining tips for example) in your orientations
• Achieve greater consistency in your training.
• Manage worker mandatory documents and behavior on-site with the traffic light system
• Review dashboard and generate custom reports.