(Editorial - Graphic Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

West Virginians are as familiar as those in any state with the dangers of mining. For us, though we might roll our eyes and joke about the potential for an inspector showing up, the reality is if those inspectors don’t do their jobs it can be a matter of life and death.

Yet, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the Mine Safety and Health Administration slacked off even more than usual during the pandemic.

“MSHA did not complete an estimated 1,589 mandatory mine inspections during Fiscal Year 2018 through Fiscal Year 2021 although it reported a nearly 100% completion rate,” the audit says.

The audit did not go easy on MSHA, noting “errors in accounting for the types of activities performed. This occurred because MSHA had not effectively improved the design or execution of its internal control system since a 2011 OIG audit found similar internal control issues with the mandatory inspections program.”

Further, “Weaknesses in MSHA’s ability to accurately determine a mine’s status increased the risk of MSHA not completing mandatory inspections. We identified weaknesses related to seven areas that generally affected when or how often to conduct a mine status verification, what aspects to check, and what tools to use. Breakdowns in MSHA’s internal control system created these weaknesses, and increased the risk of MSHA incorrectly calculating inspections required and not completing inspections,” the audit says.

Those are a lot of words to say MSHA has not cared nearly as much about mine safety as it says it does since 2011. The bottom line, then?

“This led to missed opportunities to protect miners by identifying hazards to miners and requiring corrections,” the audit reports.

OIG authors called the office’s concerns over MSHA “long-standing.” For more than a decade it has neglected its responsibility to miners, their families, their employers and their communities.

OIG said it made 11 recommendations for improvement at MSHA. We already know they ignored similar recommendations way back in 2011. This time around, federal officials had better be looking over the shoulders of those at MSHA who clearly need the prodding to do their jobs.