MSHA HANDBOOK SERIES - PH13-V-1 - Mine Safety and Health ...

COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH
GENERAL INSPECTION PROCEDURES HANDBOOK CHAPTER 3
7. Independent Contractors. Independent contractors shall be inspected for
compliance with applicable standards. The inspector shall examine the
independent contractor register. The inspector should give consideration to the
size of the contractor, the type of work being performed, and the length of time
the contractor is projected to be present at the mine to determine what
inspection activities are appropriate. With the exception of “major construction
site inspections” all inspection efforts directed to independent contractors
should be contained within the report for the ongoing inspection or
investigation being conducted.
MSHA Form 2000-208 (yellow contractor notes page) should be completed and
submitted as part of the inspection report. Form 2000-208 should be filled out
each time a contractor is inspected. If the number of contractor employees, the
work location, and type of work being performed remain the same, inspectors
may use a single page with multiple dates indicated. Each date will be entered
separately by the appropriate Mine Safety and Health Assistant. When the
independent contractor is inspected for the first time at each mining operation,
the Independent Contractor Information Form (MSHA Form 2000-207) should
be completed and the information documented shall be entered into Contractor
Database for the subject mine. The appropriate Mine Safety and Health
Assistant should update the Contractor Database. (Refer to Contractor Forms
and Contractor Database Training Booklet for further guidance.)
When an enforcement action is issued to a contractor who has not previously
been issued a MSHA Contractor I.D. Number, the inspector shall gather the
information required to complete MSHA Form 7000-52 Contractor ID. This
information will be provided to the appropriate Mine Safety and Health
Assistant, a contractor I.D. number will be assigned, and the enforcement action
shall be served. Before obtaining a new contractor I.D. number, the Mine Safety
and Health Assistant should check that the contractor does not already have an
I.D. number that it is using on other mine sites.
Documentation Required: The inspector should document inspections of
independent contractors in the inspection notes utilizing MSHA Form 2000-
208. When the independent contractor is inspected for the first time at the
mining operation and any new data or updates to MSHA’s Contractor
Database, MSHA Form 2000-207 should be filled out and the documented
information should be submitted for entry into the Contractor Database for the
subject mine.
8. Travel with Mine Examiners. The inspector should travel with and evaluate at
least one preshift, at least one on-shift, and at least one weekly mine examiner
to determine if adequate examinations are being conducted. Observations
should be made of the examiner’s equipment to determine that it is appropriate
Release 1 (February 2013) 3-7