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Town reports five MSHA citations at gravel pit; inspector allows time to correct
Summary
Williamstown reported five Mine Safety and Health Administration citations at the town gravel pit, three of which were corrected during inspection; the inspector granted a grace period until June 15, 2026 to correct paperwork and equipment testing to avoid fines.
Town Manager Ryan Lockwood told the Selectboard that an unannounced Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) audit produced five citations related to gravel pit operations. Ryan said the issues included the absence of a safety berm at the pit entrance, no available training plan on request, no safety program for mobile equipment, outdated contact information after leadership changes, and missing records of annual continuity and resistance testing for screening equipment.
"The Town received five citations: not having a safety berm at the gravel pit entrance, no available training plan upon request, no available safety program for the mobile equipment, not updating contact information when Town leadership changed, and not having a record of screening equipment at the pit having gone through an annual continuity and resistance test," Ryan reported. He said three of the five items had already been corrected and that the inspector allowed the town until June 15 to finish paperwork and obtain an electrician's report on the screener to avoid fines.
The board discussed the option of closing the pit because local screening had produced lower-quality material; after considering scarcity and costs of buying winter sand from another town, members decided not to close the pit at this time and directed staff training and procedural fixes instead.
