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Senate approves repeal of century‑old 8‑hour mining workday statute after intense debate
Summary
After extensive floor debate about miner safety and modern regulatory oversight, the Senate voted 26–13 to repeal the state’s 1896 eight‑hour mining statute, a move sponsors said would modernize rules for mining operations and opponents said would risk worker safety.
The Utah Senate voted on Feb. 28, 2001 to repeal a 104‑year‑old statutory restriction that set an eight‑hour workday for mines and related industries. Sponsor Senator Wadhams framed the measure as a modernization needed to keep mining operations — particularly at Kennecott — economically viable when underground work requires longer shifts and extended travel time for miners. He told colleagues that existing federal and state safety regimes (OSHA, MSHA and state…
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