Morton Salt mine issued DOL pattern of violations notice
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A salt mine operated by Morton Salt Inc. last week was hit with a U.S. Department of Labor notice for a pattern of violations of mandatory health and safety standards under the federal Mine Safety and Health Act.
The POV notice is the first issued to a U.S. mine operator since 2014.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration issued the notice after finding that Morton Salt’s Weeks Island Mine and Mill in New Iberia, Louisiana, had a high number of “significant and substantial” violations, and other health and safety compliance problems, a DOL statement said.
A significant and substantial violation is one that is reasonably likely to result in serious injury or illness, and a POV notice is considered one of the agency’s strictest enforcement actions, the statement said.
Regulators said the mine received 82 significant and substantial violations from Sept. 1, 2021, to Aug. 31, 2022, of which 32 were issued for the operator’s high negligence or reckless disregard.
Federal law allows the mining safety regulator to remove miners from sites that receive a POV notice.
