According to the Pew Research Center, 157 million Americans worked in the United States in 2019. Moreover, nearly 165 million people took part in the labor force in the first three quarters of 2022, according to Statista. That’s an increase of over 10 million workers. Although some workers avoid dangerous occupations, others prefer overcoming daily challenges. Nevertheless, safety matters immensely. For this reason, scheduled safety training, such as OSHA and MSHA training courses, provide workers with the tools to reduce workplace injuries and prevent fatalities.
What Is MSHA?
MSHA stands for The Mine Safety and Health Administration. Their responsibilities include:
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- Reducing fatalities, injuries, and sickness among US miners
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- Developing and enforcing mining safety and health regulations
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- Providing mine operators with technical and educational assistance
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- Fostering cooperation between industry, labor, federal and state agencies to improve safety and health conditions for all US miners
What Is a Dangerous Job?
Dangerous jobs expose workers to a daily risk of injury, disability, and death at higher rates than other occupations. Industry safety organizations such as the Mine Safety and Health Administration advise mining companies and workers about their right to a safe workplace. MSHA also teaches about the responsibility to use best practices. MSHA training courses provide the information needed to reduce fatalities to near zero. Thanks to MSHA training courses, mining has rarely appeared in any top 10 lists for dangerous occupations in recent years.
Dangerous Working Conditions
Although the top 10 most dangerous occupations vary from year to year, 40 percent of them involve a transport-related mishap, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Professional anglers, pilots, waste handlers, truck drivers, farm workers, construction workers, and landscapers have the most injuries and fatalities in this category.
Weather hazards and animal encounters often affect loggers, professional anglers, farmers, and construction workers. Machinery and heavy equipment injuries affect loggers, construction workers, steelworkers, and miners. Even with scheduled safety reviews, such as those provided by MSHA training courses, the equipment can still malfunction and cause serious injuries and death. Nevertheless, these classes provide workers with the best protection against heartbreaking consequences.
The Ninth-Most Dangerous Occupation, According to OSHA
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers face ninth place in risks. Consequently, MSHA training courses will benefit them in the ongoing effort to prevent mining injuries and deaths. Schedule your front-line supervisors and crew members ASAP and keep your below-ground workers above ground.
If you’re looking for MSHA training courses, contact ETC Compliance Solutions. We offer custom training making it convenient for your business.