MSHA proposes stiffer penalties for mine safety violations

The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration has published a proposed rule in the Federal Register to raise civil penalties for violations of the Mine Safety and Health Act.

The rule imposes a maximum penalty of $220,000 for flagrant violations, as well as a minimum penalty of $2,000 for unwarrantable failure violations, $4,000 for repeated similar violations, and a penalty of $5,000 to $60,000 for operators who fail to notify MSHA within 15 minutes of a death, injury or entrapment.