EKB News

The federal agency charged with keeping U.S. coal mines safe sometimes took two or more days to respond to complaints of hazardous conditions, but it has refused to accept two of 13 recommended improvements from the Office of Inspector General. The U.S. Department of Labor report examined the Mine Safety and Health Administration's hot-line responses over three months. It recommends MSHA set specific time limits for evaluating complaints and responding to the scene, rather than adhering to the current standard of "immediately" or "as soon as possible." But the 77-page report says MSHA balked, insisting that a focus on timeliness could lead to an incomplete evaluation of the complaint, an insufficient response and "a premature and uninformed decision." The OIG remained undeterred in its report.