Mining/Oil/Gas

Washington — The Mine Safety and Health Administration is updating its metal and nonmetal mining regulations to incorporate advances in electronic detonators.

Blacksburg, VA — Researchers at Virginia Tech have launched a project aimed at boosting the effectiveness of dust scrubbers in underground mining to enhance dust control and improve miner safety.

State College, PA — Using a 3D device on a microchip that mimics the behavior of human lungs, researchers from Penn State University will use a $400,000 grant from NIOSH to study the effects of nano-scale coal dust on the lungs of underground miners, the university has announced.

Washington — Surface coal miners, especially those who work in drilling, may be exposed to higher concentrations of respirable dust or quartz. This puts them at elevated risk of coal workers’ pneumoconiosis – a deadly but preventable disease known as black lung, results of a recent NIOSH study show.

Washington — A total of 5,250 workers died as a result of on-the-job injuries in 2018 – a 2% increase from 2017 and the highest number of fatalities since 5,657 were recorded in 2007, according to Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries data released Dec. 17 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Wigston, England — The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health has released a pocket card intended to help protect workers from diesel exhaust fumes.

Arlington, VA — The Mine Safety and Health Administration did not identify any Pattern of Violations offenders among the nation’s 13,000-plus mines for the fifth successive year, the agency announced Nov. 7.

Arlington, VA — Prompted by reports of three recent fatalities involving electricity, the Mine Safety and Health Administration has issued a safety alert.

Arlington, VA — The Mine Safety and Health Administration has scheduled five public stakeholder meetings on the reinstatement of a 2017 rule that requires a competent person to inspect the workplace before a shift rather than when miners begin work.

Arlington, VA — Prompted by a fire on a diesel-powered water car in May, the Mine Safety and Health Administration has issued a safety alert addressing fire hazards associated with diesel equipment in underground mines.