The NDSC is proud to work with MSHA to protect the mining industry’s most valuable resource – miners. Mining continues to be a vital component of the North Dakota economy and as an industry, is critical to everything from electronics to building materials. 

By offering MSHA courses, the NDSC helps the mining industry keep people safe. Which is good, because they have work to do! Western North Dakota contains an estimated 351 billion tons of lignite, the single largest deposit of lignite known in the world, and North Dakota has an estimated 25 billion tons of economically mineable coal.

While mining practices and the industry are changing, coal is part of the energy mix for our nation and the need to keep miners safe remains vital. Federal law requires that all miners receive basic and annual refresher training, and that all mine operators maintain an effective training plan. The NDSC offers the training miners need, and now, we’ve made it even more straightforward.

Parts 48 and 46 now offered together for new miner and refresher courses
New and inexperienced sand and gravel and surface coal miners must complete MSHA parts 46 and 48; and federal law requires all miners receive basic and annual refresher training. New miners must complete no less than 24 hours of training. Our new miner Parts 46 and 48 do that in a combined three-day course. New miners gain insight on the aggregate industry, including granite, sand, gravel, lime, and cement operations, and NDSC students also receive a National Safety Council 2-year Adult CPR/AED certificate and 2-year First Aid certificate upon completion.

For experienced miners in the past refresher courses parts 46 ad 48 were offered separately. The NDSC has now combined parts 46 and 48 to simplify refresher course requirements over a single 8-hour day of training

To learn more about documentation and requirements, go to Mine Safety.