Who places the mine foreman in charge at the mines?

• A. The licensee or superintendent or operator
• B. The workers' union
• C. The state inspector
• D. The department head

Answer: (A)

The supervisor who runs the mine is the one who designates who will be in charge on site. In practice, the licensee, superintendent, or operator assigns the mine foreman so there is a clear person responsible for day-to-day safety, blasting, equipment use, and overall compliance with mining rules. The other groups don’t have authority to appoint on-site management: unions aren’t the appointing body, state inspectors regulate and enforce but don’t appoint, and department heads aren’t the entity that directly runs the mine. This arrangement keeps the person in charge answerable to the operator and aligned with the mine’s operations and safety program.