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The Sentinels Of Safety Program |
Rules Governing The Sentinels Of Safety Program
Purpose and Scope
The purpose of the annual Sentinels of Safety award program is to recognize achievement of outstanding safety records, to stimulate greater interest in safety and to encourage development of more effective accident prevention programs among the Nation's mineral extractive industries. This program is cosponsored by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the National Mining Association (NMA). All active and intermittently active mineral mining operations required to report injury and employment data under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 are eligible to participate. Ten separate groups consisting of mining operations having similar characteristics are identified for the program. They are: underground coal mines, surface coal mines, coal processing facilities, underground metal mines, underground nonmetal mines, open pit mines (metal and nonmetal, except stone), open pit stone quarries, sand and gravel bank or pit operations, sand and gravel dredge operations, and metal and nonmetal mills. Each of the above groups are further divided into large and small mine categories resulting in a total of twenty separate groups. The median hours worked at all mines in each group will determine eligibility in the large and small categories. The median hours worked will define the upper limit for the small mine categories.
Eligibility
To be eligible for an award, a mining operation must have reported employment data to MSHA for each quarter in which it was active during the calendar year (January 1 - December 31); not experienced a work injury in the subunits below that resulted in a fatality, permanent disability, days away from work, or days of restricted work activity; have a no days lost (NDL) injury incidence rate (degree 6) no greater than the national average for these same subunits; and have accumulated at least 4,000 employee-hours in these same subunits during the calendar year.
For mines in the underground groups, eligibility is determined from the hours-worked data reported on the MSHA Form 7000-2 (cumulated for the calendar year) in the underground subunit (subunit 01) and any associated surface shops and yards (subunit 02).
For the surface and open pit mines and quarries, eligibility is determined from the hours-worked data reported on the Form 7000-2 under the appropriate surface mining activity code (subunits 03, 04, and 06) including the associated shops and yards.
For the sand and gravel bank or pit group, eligibility is determined from the hours-worked data reported on Form 7000-2 under subunit code 03; and for the sand and gravel dredge group, eligibility is determined from the hours-worked data reported under subunit code 06.
For the coal processing facilities and metal and nonmetal mills group, eligibility is determined from the hours-worked data reported on Form 7000-2 under subunit code 30. For a coal processing facility to qualify, it must meet the definition of a facility that is under MSHA jurisdiction, where rock and/or other impurities are removed from the coal prior to it being transported for delivery.
Only data that was reported under a single MSHA ID number in a calendar year will be included. EMPLOYEE-HOURS AND INJURIES TO INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS OR AT OFFICES, INDEPENDENT SHOPS, CULM BANKS, OR "OTHER" OPERATIONS ARE EXCLUDED FROM THE COMPUTATIONS EXCEPT IN THE CASE WHERE THERE IS A CHARGEABLE FATALITY AT THE MINE SITE WHICH WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION.
Reports Required
Mining operations potentially eligible for an award are identified solely from injury and employment data reported on the MSHA Forms 7000-1 and 7000-2 as required by the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 and defined by 30 C.F.R Part 50.
Verification Of Data
Operations potentially eligible for an award are mailed a letter advising them of their eligibility and requesting verification or correction of their employment and injury data as it appears in the records maintained at MSHA's Office of Injury and Employment Information (OIEI) in Denver, Colorado. To avoid errors on the award certificate, operators should indicate any corrections to the hours-worked data and to the operation's name and address as it appears preprinted on the verification letter.
FAILURE TO RETURN THE VERIFICATION REQUEST SIGNED BY THE DATE INDICATED MAY DISQUALIFY THE OPERATOR FROM CONSIDERATION FOR AN AWARD.
Any mining operation potentially eligible for safety awards may be audited by an MSHA representative to avoid possible misinterpretation and to assure that all the award conditions have been met.
Awards
Sentinels of Safety Trophy
A bronze trophy, provided by NMA and MSHA, is awarded to the mining operation in each of the twenty groups having the lowest NDL injury incidence rate with the tie breaker being the most employee hours worked. The bronze trophy remains in the custody of the mining operation for approximately one year. The operation then receives a replica trophy and the bronze trophy is then transferred to the following year's winning operation.
The winning operation will be asked to furnish a list of employees working in those subunits during the year of the award. To be eligible for a trophy, an operation must be privately operated, i.e., not operated by a government agency, and must not be in abandoned status at the end of the calendar year.
Certificate of Accomplishment
In addition to the trophy awarded to the twenty winning operations, each employee of those operations will receive a Certificate of Accomplishment in Safety.
Certificate of Achievement In Safety
Certificates of Achievement in Safety are awarded to all participating operations that have met all of the award criteria. Mines or quarries operated by a Federal, State, County, or Municipal agency also are eligible for Certificates of Achievement in Safety.
Announcement and Publication of Winners
MSHA and NMA will co-announce the Sentinels winners and other participants who achieve outstanding safety records. Award winners will be identified in various publications and news releases.
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