The Secretary of Labor's vision for the U.

S.

workforce is helping American workers gain and hold good, safe jobs.

One of the Department’s strategic goals is to “Promote Safe Jobs and Fair Workplaces for All Americans” through the strategic objective “secure

credit:

safe and healthy workplaces, particularly in high-risk industries.” MSHA’s goal in accomplishing this objective is to prevent fatalities, disease, and injury from mining and secure safe and healthful working conditions for America’s miners.

Under Section 503 of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine Act), Public Law 95-164, as amended, the Secretary of Labor through the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) may award grants to States (including the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) to assist them in developing and enforcing State mining laws and regulations, to improve State workers’ compensation and mining occupational disease laws and programs, and to improve safety and health conditions in the Nation’s mines through Federal-State coordination and cooperation.