The United States National Mine Health and Safety Academy is a
federal academy responsible for training the mine safety and health inspectors and technical support personnel of the
Mine Safety and Health Administration
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) () is a large agency of the United States Department of Labor which administers the provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine Act) to enforce compliance with mandatory safet ...
.
The Academy is located in
Beckley, West Virginia
Beckley is a city in and the county seat of Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. It was founded on April 4, 1838. This city is the home of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology or West Virginia University, Beckley Campus.
...
, on an site near the
Raleigh County Airport
Raleigh County Memorial Airport is three miles east of Beckley, in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. It is owned by the Raleigh County Airport Authority. The airport is used for general aviation and sees one scheduled passenger a ...
. The Academy complex consists of nine buildings: The Residence Hall, Administration Building, Classroom Building, Mine Machinery Laboratory Building, Publication Distribution Center, Gymnasium, Maintenance and Equipment Building, Mine Emergency Operations Building, Mine Rescue Station and Mine Simulation Laboratory.
Students are exposed to a variety of different disciplines in nine different laboratories: roof control, ground control, mine emergencies and rescue, ventilation, electrical systems, machinery, industrial hygiene, computer systems and underground mine simulation.
History
In a five-year period from 1906-1911, 13,228 miners were killed in U.S. coal mines. As a result, the Bureau of Mines was established by Congress on July 1, 1910, "to make diligent investigation of the methods of mining, especially in relation to the safety of miners and the appliances best adapted to prevent accidents."
In succeeding years, Congress passed other legislation designed to promote health and safety in the mines, including the 1966 Federal Metal and Nonmetallic Mine Safety Act (P.L. 89-577) and the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 (P.L. 91-173). The most recent regulatory legislation combined the coal and metal and nonmetal industries under one law--the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977. This act directed that "The National Mine Health and Safety Academy shall be...responsible for the training of mine safety and health inspectors, mining personnel, or other persons as the Secretaries of Labor and Interior shall designate. In performing this function, the Academy shall have the authority to enter into cooperative educational and training agreements with educational institutions, State governments, labor organizations, and mine operators and related industries." It is through the training provisions of this legislation that the National Mine Health and Safety Academy functions.
In response to the mandates of the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, on September 7, 1971, the Academy began inspector training in temporary facilities in Beckley, West Virginia. On August 17, 1976, the permanent facility, situated on {{convert, 80, acre, m2 of land donated by the Raleigh County Airport Authority, opened its doors with an official dedication.
Michael George Zabetakis
Michael George Zabetakis (7 July 1924 – 21 January 2005) was a fire safety engineering specialist. He received his PhD in chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh in 1956. In 1965 he published data for flammability limits, autoignition, and ...
was the first superintendent of the Academy.
On July 25, 1979, Public Law 96-38 transferred the activities and functions of the National Mine Health and Safety Academy from the Department of the Interior to the Department of Labor.
External links
National Mine Health and Safety Academy Homepage
Mining law and governance
Mine safety