Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)

About

The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) helps to reduce deaths, injuries, and illnesses in the nation's mines with a variety of activities and programs. The Agency develops and enforces safety and health rules for all U.S. mines, and provides technical, educational and other types of assistance to mine operators. MSHA works cooperatively with industry, labor, and other Federal and state agencies to improve safety and health conditions for all miners in the United States.
Mission

Learn about MSHA's role in promoting mine safety and health in the United States, and see how the mining industry has made significant strides in reducing mining fatalities during the 20th century.
History

Learn about the key legislative milestones that have helped improve mine safety and health in the United States.
Leadership

Assistant Secretary Joseph A. Main directs The Mine Safety and Health Administration.
Patricia W. Silvey is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Operations.
Laura McClintock is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy
Program Areas

MSHA is organized into the nine major program areas listed below.  Learn about the roles of each program area, find program area-specific contact information, and access related resources.

    Office of the Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health
    Coal Mine Safety and Health
    Metal and Nonmetal Mine Safety and Health
    Program Evaluation and Information Resources
    Administration and Management
    Technical Support
    Educational Policy and Development
    Standards, Regulations and Variances
    Assessments, Accountability, Special Enforcement and Investigations

Careers

Find MSHA jobs, learn about our Inspector Hiring Program, and view internship opportunities and jobs for recent graduates.
Contact

    Emergency contact information
    General contact information

Mission
Print

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The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) works to prevent death, illness, and injury from mining and promote safe and healthful workplaces for U.S. miners.

MSHA carries out the provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine Act) as amended by the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act of 2006.

The Agency develops and enforces safety and health rules for all U.S. mines regardless of size, number of employees, commodity mined, or method of extraction. MSHA also provides technical, educational and other types of assistance to mine operators. We work cooperatively with industry, labor, and other Federal and state agencies to improve safety and health conditions for all miners in the United States.
Making Strides

Safety and health in America's mining industry made significant strides during the 20th century and over the last several decades in particular. In 1978, the first year MSHA operated under the Mine Act of 1977, 242 miners died in mining accidents. In 2015, this number fell to 28 fatalities.

MSHA continues to work to reduce injuries, illnesses and death through strong enforcement as well as active outreach, education and training, and technical support to the mining industry.

History

Old Photograph of four miners
Legislative History of U.S. Mine Safety and Health

The history of mine safety and health legislation in the United States goes back more than a century. Learn about the legislative milestones that have helped improve miner safety and health.
Early Laws: Incremental improvements in safety and health legislation
1891 – First Federal mine safety statute passed
1910 – Bureau of Mines created
1941 – Right of entry granted to Federal inspectors
1947 – Safety standards for bituminous coal and lignite mines created
1952 – Federal Coal Mine Safety Act passed
1961 – Study authorized to examine injuries and hazards in metal/nonmetal mines
1966 – Federal Coal Mine Safety Act extended to include all underground coal mines
1966 – Federal Metal and Nonmetallic Mine Safety Act passed
The Coal Act: Major advances in health and safety legislation
1969 – Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act passed
1973 – Mining Enforcement and Safety Administration (MESA) created
The Mine Act: Creation of MSHA
1977 – Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) created
2006 – Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act (MINER Act) passed

Leadership

    Joseph A. Main
    Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health

    Joseph A. (Joe) Main is an internationally-recognized expert in mine health and safety issues. For more than 40 years, he has worked to improve every aspect of miner health and safety, both in the United States and internationally.
    Patricia W. Silvey
    Deputy Assistant Secretary for Operations

    Patricia W. Silvey was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary for Operations in December 2010. Previously, Mrs. Silvey served as the Director of Standards, Regulations and Variances for MSHA.
    Laura McClintock
    Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy

    Laura McClintock comes to MSHA from the Department of Labor where she served as Associate Deputy Secretary of Labor under both Secretaries Hilda Solis and Tom Perez.

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