MSHA announced it will hold a series of stakeholder meetings across the country to share information about the final silica rule issued on April 18, 2024. The first two meetings are scheduled for Arlington, VA on July 10,...more
MSHA has posted a template for compliance assistance with the Surface Mobile Equipment Rule. MSHA will begin to enforce the standard on July 17, 2024. The standard does not require operators to submit their plan to the...more
On December 19, 2023, MSHA announced a final rule to have written safety programs for surface mobile equipment (excluding belt conveyers) at surface mines and surface areas of underground mines....more
MSHA has published the proposed silica rule on their website. Among other things, MSHA proposes to set the permissible exposure limit of respirable crystalline silica at 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air (µg/m3) for a full...more
According to Bloomberg Law, Assistant Secretary of Labor for MSHA, Chris Williamson, has stated that beginning this month the agency will resume a practice that ended in 2020...more
MSHA has announced a new enforcement initiative regarding overexposure to respirable crystalline silica.
The silica enforcement initiative is intended “to take immediate action to reduce the risks the silica exposure.” ...more
On April 4, 2022, MSHA began a new enhanced enforcement program. Due to the number of fatalities around the country, all citations written under the following standards will be considered and reviewed for a special assessment...more
MSHA finally has a new leader. On March 29, 2022, the U.S. Senate confirmed by voice vote Christopher Williamson (Williamson) as Assistant Secretary for the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) at the Department of...more
MSHA has announced a new campaign focusing on mine operators’ obligations to ensure that miners are fully trained and able to take time to follow best safety practices. To that end, MSHA is providing resources on powered...more
President Biden has nominated Christopher Williamson for the position of Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health. The White House statement on the nominee states Mr. Williamson is a “native of the coalfields of...more
On November 4, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued its Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) applicable to employers of 100 or more employees. The ETS requires employers to adopt a soft vaccine...more
11/9/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Documentation ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Joe Biden ,
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) ,
OSHA ,
Religious Exemption ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing
On April 9, 2021, the White House issued a press release announcing its nomination of Douglas Parker (Parker) for the position of Assistant Secretary for the Occupational and Health Administration (OSHA). Parker is currently...more
One year into the pandemic, MSHA has released new guidance to help miners and operators identify the risks of being exposed to COVID-19 at work and to help them determine appropriate control measures to reduce the risk of...more
3/11/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Training ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) ,
Mining ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Screening Procedures ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Safety
On January 21, 2021, President Biden signed an executive order directing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue revised guidance to employers on workplace safety during the COVID-19 pandemic...more
On October 17, 2018, OIRA published the fall regulatory agenda for MSHA. The major regulatory priority on MSHA’s agenda continues to be an examination of the protections provided to reduce underground miners’ exposure to...more
One unique challenge on mine sites is the rule requiring a phone call to MSHA within 15 minutes of certain serious accidents. Operators otherwise consumed with emergency response must make quick, on-the-scene judgments about...more
Here’s an all-too-familiar story with an all-too-uncommon ending. An MSHA inspector saw equipment positioned a certain way, assumed that someone had used it unsafely in that position, and issued a citation. A judge then...more
Yesterday we attended one of the last MSHA Stakeholders Meetings regarding the new Metal/Nonmetal workplace exam rule. In case you were unable to attend any of the meetings, the PowerPoint presented at the sessions can be...more
MSHA has announced an additional in-person meeting and two video teleconferences to provide outreach and compliance assistance on the new workplace examination rule for metal and nonmetal mines. One of the video conferences...more
Assistant Secretary of Labor David Zatezalo has announced that a new workplace examination rule for metal and non-metal mines will be effective on June 2, 2018. The new rule has not yet been published....more