If your operation involves the loading and unloading of materials used in road construction or, if you have drilling or blasting taking place on site, State of Michigan requirements (per MSHA) require that your truck scale vendor be certified as trained in mine safety as set forth in Michigan statute. You can learn more about these requirements at http://www.michigan.gov/deq/. Additional information regarding training requirements can be found at the website of Michigan Technological University; http://www.mine-safety.mtu.edu/saftrain.htm . We quote from the Michigan Tech website as follows:
Requirements for Mine Safety and Health Training
- Contractor employees needing comprehensive training (new miner, annual refresher and task training) include those who are:
- Engaged in mining operations, including developing, drilling, blasting, extracting, milling, crushing, screening or sizing materials, or loading or hauling materials within the mine;
- Maintenance or service workers, working on mining equipment for frequent (a pattern of recurring exposure) or extended periods (more than five consecutive work days); or
- Construction workers who are exposed to hazards of mining operations for frequent or extended periods.
Such training must be conducted before entering sand and gravel or other types of mines and quarries. If an MSHA inspector finds untrained contractor employees on the mine site, they will be forced to leave, and the contractor and mine operator will receive finds. MSHA rules for surface mines require 24 hours of training for “inexperienced miners”, training for “experienced miners”, 8 hours of “annual refresher” training for all miners, “new task” training for any miner assigned to a new task, and site-specific hazard awareness training.
At GRAND RAPIDS METROLOGY, we have invested the time and resources to have our technicians trained by the Michigan Tech mine safety staff. Our technician’s certificates are available through our Quality and Safety Manager, Dave Warner (616-249-1222) or at dave.warner@grmetrology.com. Our technicians are also Registered Service Providers as defined by the Department of Agriculture and if we send them to work on your equipment, rest assured that they have the training AND the State of Michigan certification. Our State registration certificates are available from our Quality and Safety Manager or on the State of Michigan website.
Why is this so important to you? First and foremost, we are all concerned about the safety of our staff and those who may be in proximity to our staff when they are working. Injury prevention and safety need to be on our minds at all times. Second, OSHA violations are expensive and can cause all kinds of consequences from higher insurance premiums to cancellation of orders and contracts. Additionally, if there are ever questions regarding the integrity of your operation, litigation over an injury or accident or claims made by other subcontractors, you do not want to have to admit that one of your vendors was on your property in violation of OSHA requirements. These are only a few of the situations we all want to avoid in the operation of our business.
GRAND RAPIDS METROLOGY stands out and alone on the issues of quality, safety and training. We alone allocate the resources to insure compliance with your quality system and with State and Federal law. Don’t be on the short end of an OSHA complaint. Call GRAND RAPIDS METROLOGY today at 1-800-348-5701. Remember, we have been “measuring your success since 1922”!
