Independent Review of MSHA's Actions at Crandall Canyon Mine

Section 103(a) Inspections
INSPECTION ACTIVITIES AT CRANDALL CANYON MINE
Section 103(a) of the Mine Act states that authorized representatives of the Secretary shall
make inspections of each underground mine in its entirety at least four times a year (regular
inspections) for the purpose of determining whether there is compliance with mandatory
safety or health standards of the Mine Act.
The MSHA Program Policy Manual is a compilation of Agency policies on the implementation
and enforcement of the Mine Act and Title 30 of the Code of Federal Regulations (30 CFR) and
supporting programs.
MSHA’s Handbook Series contains procedural instructions related to conducting inspections.
The Coal General Inspection Procedures Handbook outlines procedures for conducting inspections
of coal mines. Relevant provisions of this handbook instruct inspectors to complete certain
specified activities when conducting a regular inspection of an underground mine.
MSHA’s practice is to conduct one complete safety and health inspection (E01 regular
inspection) each quarter at each underground mine. The manner in which District 9 personnel
conducted regular inspections at the Crandall Canyon Mine consisted of the inspector
beginning the inspection near the start of, or during, the calendar quarter. The regular
inspection generally remained open the entire three months, with intermittent inspector
presence throughout the entire period. The inspection was completed near the end of the
calendar quarter, and the next inspection was subsequently started. See Appendix C for a
listing of all inspections at the Crandall Canyon Mine from January 1, 2006, through August 6,
2007.
The IRT evaluated the six complete E01 inspections that District 9 inspectors conducted at the
Crandall Canyon Mine in calendar years 2006 and 2007, prior to the August 6 th accident. The
E01 inspection that was ongoing when the accident occurred was also evaluated. In addition,
the IRT conducted interviews with all inspectors involved in these inspections. These
interviews and evaluations were to determine if District 9 complied with MSHA’s
requirements, policies and procedures for conducting and documenting such inspections.
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