Cave Inspections and Locations

Missouri law directs the inspection of all caves in the state that are open to the public. Public or "show" cave owners, operators, and agents must provide necessary safety guard rails, bridges, ladders, entrances, platforms, walkways, safety barriers, rails, paths, and other safety measures in and around these caves before they are opened to the public. They also must file a complete and true map of the cave.

Cave Inspection

The Mine and Cave Safety and Health Section regularly inspects mines and public caves under Chapter 293, RSMo, and provides a consultation service to the mines and caves on safety and health issues. Safety and health inspections are conducted on a regular basis to find and abate hazards in the mine and cave workplace. Air quality measurements are taken on each inspection to ensure that miners are not exposed to hazardous exposure levels of a variety of contaminants. These measurements are taken in every phase of the inspection. If the mine or cave is out of compliance, they are required to use engineering controls to come into compliance. If the engineering controls are not enough, other measures are taken to bring the company into compliance. It shall be the duty of the Inspection section to inspect such caves at least once a year. The annual inspection fee will be $35.

Missouri's Public Cave Locations