Mining/Oil/Gas

Arlington, VA — Spurred by a miner’s death, the Mine Safety and Health Administration is warning of the dangers of performing maintenance on dipper buckets.

Washington — Miners are at elevated risk for chronic pain, hearing loss and high blood pressure compared with workers in nonmanual occupations, NIOSH researchers say.

Arlington, VA — The Mine Safety and Health Administration is reminding mine operators to safeguard against worker exposure to hazardous silica dust where mobile equipment is used.

Arlington, VA — The Mine Safety and Health Administration has awarded nine organizations a total of $1 million through the agency’s Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety Grants Program.

Washington — A Mine Safety and Health Administration proposed rule intended to reduce worker exposure to respirable crystalline silica “does not demand enough from operators,” Reps. Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Alma Adams (D-NC) claim.

Hobbs, NM — Recently introduced legislation would establish a trust fund to reimburse energy sector workers for health care costs associated with poor air quality and intense heat.

Washington — A Mine Safety and Health Administration final rule that would require mine operators to have a written safety program for mobile and powered haulage equipment is a step closer to publication.

Washington — A new training tool developed by NIOSH is aimed at helping miners recognize the signs of heat-related illness and provide appropriate first aid.

Washington — The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement is reinstating several previously withdrawn provisions of a final rule intended to address gaps in offshore drilling safety identified after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster.

Washington — Vehicle-related incidents contributed to more than a quarter of worker deaths in the oil and gas extraction industry over a recent six-year period, a recently published report shows.