Mining/Oil/Gas

Arlington, VA — The Mine Safety and Health Administration has launched an initiative aligned with agency administrator Chris Williamson’s goal to “ensure that miners’ health is considered as important as miners’ safety.”

Washington — Workers involved in cleanup after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster were significantly more likely to have been diagnosed with asthma or experienced asthma symptoms within three years of the incident, according to a new study from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Washington — NIOSH is seeking public and interagency input on a proposed information-collecting project focused on assessing fatigue and fatigue management in onshore oil and gas extraction.

Arlington, VA — The Mine Safety and Health Administration has launched a mobile app aimed at quickly delivering safety and health information to miners and other members of the mining industry.

Washington — Concerned about what it views as an agency oversight related to petroleum refining, the American Petroleum Institute is calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to reassess a draft revised final risk evaluation that states perchloroethylene – as a whole chemical substance – poses “unreasonable risk” to workers under certain conditions.

Washington — A new law permanently restores a recently expired excise tax rate increase on coal production, which will help fund health care and other benefits for coal miners who have black lung disease.

Washington — NIOSH will offer a series of free, confidential health screenings for current and former coal miners as part of the agency’s Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program.

East Lansing, MI — A recent study of workers at sand, gravel and stone mines in Michigan found a higher number of doctor visits for shortness of breath compared with workers in other production industries.

Arlington, VA — The Mine Safety and Health Administration is accepting applications until Aug. 23 for its Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety Grants Program.

Arlington, VA — As the Mine Safety and Health Administration works toward publishing a proposed rule on respirable crystalline silica, agency administrator Chris Williamson is encouraging mine workers and operators to “take proactive measures” to assess silica-related health hazards.