Kentucky mine safety officials describe inspector staffing, rescue duties and training volumes

Gordon Sloan, commissioner of the Department for Natural Resources, told the Budget Review Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Protection, Tourism, and Energy that the Division of Mine Safety employs 36 inspectors statewide and will not refill several inspector vacancies as they are vacated.

Sloan spoke at the subcommittee meeting after introducing Deputy Commissioner David Fields and explaining the division’s staffing, inspection requirements, training programs and mine-rescue responsibilities. “I’m Gordon Sloan, commissioner of the Department for Natural Resources,” Sloan said as he opened the presentation.

The nub: why 36 inspectors and what they do

Sloan said the division staffs four branch offices to serve Kentucky’s mines: Madisonville in the west and three eastern branches based in Harlan, Hazard and Pikeville. He reported 11 inspectors in Harlan, seven in Hazard, eight in Madisonville and 10 in Pikeville, plus four additional inspectors who are on sick leave or workers’ compensation and whom the division does not plan to backfill. “That’s our plan,” Sloan said when a committee member asked whether those positions would be refilled.

Sloan told the committee that federal and state law drive inspection and mine-rescue responsibilities. He said state statute requires six inspections annually for underground mines, including three “mine safety analysis” visits (used for on-the-job observation and counseling) and one required electrical inspection; the remaining two are standard safety inspections. He cited “statute 351.241” while describing the mine analyst visits.

Mine-rescue coverage and training obligations

Sloan said federal rules require two mine-rescue teams for each underground mine unless the mine has fewer than 36 employees; each team must have at least six trained personnel and a minimum of 96 hours of training per team member annually. Where no operator-run rescue team exists, the division provides rescue teams and aims to locate them within a one-hour drive of served mines. He estimated equipment for a mine-rescue station can cost “200 to $300,000.”

The division also conducts training and certification: Sloan said the agency runs about 8,000–9,000 training sessions a year across roughly 17 courses, including certifications for mine emergency technicians and foremen, and that much of the training is free to miners.

2024 mine counts and inspection trends

Sloan provided 2024 licensing counts by branch: 42 licensed mines in the Harlan branch (25 surface, 17 underground), 24 in Hazard (15 surface, nine underground), five underground mines in Madisonville (but described as large operations), and 55 in the Pikeville branch (24 surface, 31 underground), for a total of 126 licensed mines. He said only 61 mines were active for the full year and described roughly 52 mines as idle or inactive in 2024; operators must notify the division within 48 hours if they intend to return a mine to operation.

On inspections, Sloan said annual totals have been relatively steady since 2017. He reported 1,183 total inspections in 2017, a COVID-era dip to 995 in 2021, and 1,019 inspections in 2024. He noted inspector headcount fell from 56 in 2017 to 36 by 2023.

Safety record and other services

Sloan highlighted a safety milestone: Kentucky had not recorded a mine fatality during all of 2023 and all of 2024, and he said the state had gone 34 months without a fatality up to the meeting. He contrasted that with fatalities in neighboring states during the same interval, citing Virginia and West Virginia figures for comparison.

He also said the division provides rescue services for 16 underground rock quarries, inspects three highway tunnels and provides rescue coverage for three underground military training sites (Fort Campbell, Fort Knox and Crestwood).

Questions and follow-up

When committee members asked whether inspectors work from offices or remotely, Sloan replied they work from branch offices. A committee member asked for historical counts of active mines in 2017; Sloan said he did not have that data at the meeting and offered to provide it afterward. No formal committee action or vote was recorded on staffing or program changes during the meeting.

Ending

Sloan and Deputy Commissioner David Fields completed the presentation and responded to a small number of procedural questions; the committee did not take formal action. The subcommittee adjourned and noted its next meeting time.