When Portable Equipment Requires an MSHA ID

In brief 

Portable crushing plants that are relocated from one pit to another, even if infrequently, must obtain a separate Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) mine identification number for each portable plant. Quarterly employment information related to operation of each portable plant must be reported on one Form 7000-2, regardless of the number of pits or jobsites the plant may have been operated at during the quarter. Lastly, operators are reminded to notify MSHA each time a portable plant is moved from one pit or jobsite to another prior to commencing operation at the new location.

In detail

Portable crushing plants have become an industry mainstay in large part due to their ability to operate near working faces and thereby reduce or eliminate the need for more expensive truck haulage. While most “portable” plants remain at a single mine operation, many portable plants are also designed to be transported from one job site to another. Mine operators that take advantage of this capability must be aware of MSHA’s mine identification requirements under 30 CFR Part 41.

Portable plants that remain at a single pit or mine operation, and that do not operate at any other locations, may share the operation’s MSHA identification number, and do not require a separate identification number. (MSHA Program Policy Manual, Volume III, Part 41, III.41-1.)

However, plants that are transported from one pit to another, even if relocation is infrequent and even if each pit is owned by the same mine operator, must be assigned an MSHA identification number unique to the plant. Mine operators must use their home office address on the plant’s legal identification form, regardless of the plant’s actual physical location. (MSHA Program Policy Manual, Volume III, Part 41, III.41-1.)

Once a separate MSHA identification number is established for a portable plant, mine operators must report quarterly employment information related to operation of the plant on a single Form 7000-2, regardless of the number of pits or jobsites the plant may have operated at during the quarter. Further, the portable plant will receive regular MSHA inspections, which should occur where the portable plant is operating at the time of inspection. (MSHA Program Policy Manual, Volume III, Part 41, III.41-1.)

Lastly, mine operators are reminded to notify MSHA each time a portable plant is moved from one pit or jobsite to another prior to commencing operation at the new location.  (30 CFR 56.1000). Everview can help clients comply with MSHA portable equipment and other requirements.