by Diana Barnum
Jim Duff with Duff Quarries, Huntsville, Ohio receives "Rocky
Award" from Ron Tipton, President OAIMA 2003.
How many safety inspections should there be? In Ohio, after the
federal government inspects quarry operations, the state inspects them
again, often within the hour. Dollars that could be dedicated to safety
training are instead funding redundant inspections. But hopefully not for
much longer.
Members of the Ohio Aggregates and Industrial Minerals
Association (OAIMA) decided to take the lead. At their 2002 Annual Meeting
in Columbus, OH, board members met to discuss a proactive approach to the
problem
“We initiated the drafting of SB (Ohio Senate Bill) 83 to make
changes and take advantage of new technologies in surface mining,” said
Patrick A. Jacomet, executive director of OAIMA.
The Division of
Mineral Resources Management (DMRM), a division of the Ohio Department of
Natural Resource, agreed to insert OAIMA ‘s text into SB 83 that would
reform the Mine Safety inspection program placing an emphasis on training
instead of dual inspections.
“The ODNR has a great bunch of
inspectors,” explained Jacomet. “But why come one hour after MSHA (Mine
Safety & Health Administration) leaves? And why go through the same
inspection twice? We’d rather have them come to our sites to
train.”
The OAIMA represents about 100 mineral aggregate producers in
Ohio. Most companies are family owned with less than 20 employees. So mine
workers are “family.”
Discussion Panel participants Kevin Moore with Innovative Screen
Technology Dick Stiles, Metso; Kirk Sawall, Durex Products; Louis Ondrias,
Tema Isenmann; and Kevin McQuaide, Ohio Wire Cloth.
“The bottom line is that we want our people to be safe,” said Jacomet.
He added that a lot of accidents are due to actions or inaction of
employees and that their behavior needs changed, not their equipment. He
said the key is, “A worker gets up in the morning, gets to work, comes
home and watches television with his family. Inspecting the heck out of
the equipment does not make it better. Most accidents happen because of
behavior- no seatbelt on in the loader, no hard hats on. …If they (ODNR)
want to influence safety, training will take us to the next level. Most of
our industry is families.”
OAIMA members sought the help of Senator
James E. Carnes and the DMRM (division of ODNR) over the past year to make
changes. Another supporter, Dave D. Lauriski, Assistant Secretary of Labor
for Mine Safety and Health testified before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee
on Employment, Safety and Training on July 11, 2002. He was quoted in a
letter from the OAIMA to the ODNR saying that incident rates have
“flat-lined” and that it was time to put a healthier balance between
“enforcement, education, training, technical support and
compliance.”
The training provision of SB 83 were dropped from the
bill, but efforts will continue.
2002 Program
The two-day Annual
Meeting included a trade show, general training, workshop and panel
discussion sessions, a live auction fund raiser, an awards ceremony, a
luncheon address by Senator Larry A Mumper, Ohio Senate District 26, and a
reception led by State Representative Keith Faber.
One of the
highlights of the sessions was a panel discussion, “Problems, Solutions
and Lessons learned in other State” with representatives from several
different associations: John Henriksen from Illinois Association of
Aggregate Producers; Bruce Mason from Indiana Mineral Aggregates
Association; Michael Newman from Michigan Aggregate Association; Don
Walker from Kentucky Crushed Stone Association; Larry Long from County
Commissioners Association of Ohio; and Brian Barger from Brady, Coyle and
Schmidt.
John Schuler of Martin Marietta Aggregates, Scott Wilson of
Shelly Materials, Inc., Jeff Stoll, Hanson Aggregates Midwest, and Mike
Carey, director of the Ohio Coal Association addressed “Public Relations
Success Stories.”
For more information on mining safety concerns and
future OAIMA activities, contact Ohio Aggregates and Industrial Minerals
Association, 162 N. Hamilton Road, Gahanna, OH 43230. Call: (614) 428-7954
or (800) OH ROCKS; or fax inquiries to: (614) 428-7919. Visit them online
at www.oaima.org. |