WASHINGTON — The number of chronic safety violators among mine operators has fallen sharply in recent years, according to government figures released Thursday.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration said the number has dropped in response to reforms the agency has taken. The National Mining Association counters that the industry’s own safety program deserves the credit.
The government puts repeat safety offenders on its Pattern of Violations, or POV, list, which is reserved for mines that pose the greatest risk to the safety and health of miners.
In its 2010 screening, 51 chronic violators were identified for further review among mine operators. But for this year’s screening, that number had dropped to 12. The biggest reduction came in coal mines, which dropped from 42 in 2010 to six this year.
Luke Popovich, a spokesman for the National Mining Association, credited the NMA’s safety program for the improved numbers.
