MSHA NEIM 2-3 Day Certification Course

Course Pre-Requisite

None

Course Description

MSHA Training for New Miners

In the past it has been an accepted practice of MSHA NEIM 24-Hour training to provide 16 hours of comprehensive training off site (ie, independent training facility), with an additional 4 hours of task specific training to be provided by a competent person. The task specific training consisted of the scope of work the company provided. For instance, if the NEIM student is a welder, the task specific training would be on the hazards of welding. The final 4 hours of training would consist of “Introduction to the Mine Site”, which completed the required 24 hours of training.

MSHA has recently been reviewing the MSHA Act, which specifies that all 24 hours of MSHA NEIM training be done by MSHA approved instructors. This puts the employer/contractor in a difficult position, in that not many contractors employ MSHA approved instructors for the task specific training. In addition, the “Introduction to the Mine Site” training at the mine site often takes less than 4 hours. The employee now has less than the required 24 hours of the MSHA approved training as specified by the  MSHA Act and they are being refused access to the mine site.

The Safety Consortium has consulted with MSHA EFS (Engineering Field Services), which is responsible for overseeing the training and assisting in development of companies training programs. It is the resolution of these meetings that The Safety Consortium can provide a completed  MSHA 5000-23 form for 24 hours of training.

The employer/contractor will still need to provide and document the task specific training, however, it will no longer be included as part of the 24-hour required NEIM training, unless provided by an MSHA approved instructor. For example, if the employee is an operator of a man-lift, they must still be trained by a competent person on the use of the man-lift.  The employer/company is still responsible for the completion and documentation of this training, however, it is now in addition to the 24-hour MSHA NEIM training.

It is now an accepted  interpretation of the MSHA Act,  that the approved  MSHA contracted  trainer can issue the 5000-23 as complete upon providing the 24-hours of training. The trainer must cover general information specific to working at mines, such as,  left hand traffic, emergency assembly areas, first aid equipment and fire-fighting equipment. This will be general information only  and  the contractor will still be required to get specific information for the mine when they arrive at the individual mine site.  The additional information/training obtained at the mine-site is now in addition to the 24-hour MSHA NEIM training.

The Safety Consortium will continue to offer the 2 day NEIM course with an uncompleted 5000-23 for those employers who are capable of completing the required training themselves.  For everyone else we will now offer 3 day NEIM Part 48 Training with a completed 5000-23. This three day curriculum will include American Heart First Aid, CPR & AED training provided by a MSHA approved instructor.  If the employer requires annual hearing testing, those hearing tests will be provided as part of the third day of training.  Hearing tests are optional, and must be requested by the employer.

One of the most important issues to remember is that if an employee goes out to the mine without proper completion of the training, this could result in a 104(g) citation and order (see below), with fines ranging from $10,000.00 to $30,000.00. These fines could be levied on a per exposure situation, depending on what the office of Special Assessments determines. This fine would not include the cost of the wages of the individual to be retrained and the additional cost for the new instruction.

104(g)(1) Orders of Withdrawal - Untrained Miners

The 2-day NEIM (16 hour) training is still acceptable for Part 46, Sand and Gravel Operations, who complete the additional 8 hours of training according to their training plan.  Part 46 training is not accepted as Part 48 surface mining training.  However, Part 48 training can be accepted as part of Part 46 training, as long as it follows the “Mine Specific Training Plan” and the instructor is listed on the Mine Training Plan.

We understand that this is a major change from previous interpretations  of  the training requirements.

The Safety Consortium has extensively researched this issue, and in order to best protect both your company and employees, we feel that changing to a 3-Day NEIM training curriculum is the best way to achieve this. If your company can still suffice with a 2-Day NEIM training program, and can provide the approved required additional 8 hours of training, please let us know at the time of registration.

The Safety Consortium is proud to always offer the highest quality training. We want to protect your company and employees with quality training providing useful information and education. We welcome any comments or if you would like to talk to us further about this issue, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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Course Outline

NEIM (Newly Employed Inexperienced Miner) Training will consist of but not be limited to the following topics:

• Statutory Rights of Miners
• Self Rescue & Respiratory Devices
• Introduction to Work Environment
• Escape and Emergency Evacuation Plans, Fire Warning and Fire Fighting
• Mandatory Health and Safety Standards
• Transportation, Controls and Communication Systems
• Ground Control: Working in areas of high walls, water hazards, pits and spoil banks, illumination and night work
• Health
• Hazard Recognition
• Electrical Hazards
• First Aid
• Explosives
• Health and Safety aspects of the task to which a miner is assigned

There will be some variation in training curriculum depending on the make up of the class in order to better serve the attendees.

Current course schedules