The most serious civil sanction under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act converts regular citations into repeated orders to withdraw miners - potentially for the life of the mine. This happens if MSHA declares a pattern of violations (POV). This sanction is so disruptive MSHA did not impose it for 30 years, but MSHA is now enforcing it. Brody Mining was placed under a POV and hit with closure orders for every violation allegedly "of such a nature as could have significantly contributed to the cause and effect of coal or other mine health or safety hazards." Virtually every operator receives such significant and substantial (S&S) violations, but pattern declarations are not common.
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