Mining/Oil/Gas

Washington — In response to recent questions from the mining community, the Mine Safety and Health Administration has issued a program policy letter intended to clarify requirements for providing emergency escapeways for underground metal and nonmetal miners.

Washington — The Mine Safety and Health Administration is extending to July 2022 the deadline for comment on a Request for Information concerning a retrospective study of the agency’s respirable coal mine dust rule.

Washington — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has vacated a 2018 amendment to a 2017 Mine Safety and Health Administration rule that allowed a competent person to inspect the workplace as miners began work rather than prior to a shift – a decision United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts calls “a victory for miners everywhere.”

Washington — Alarmed by a recent spike in cases of coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, a deadly but preventable condition commonly known as black lung, union presidents Cecil Roberts of the United Mine Workers of America and Leo Gerard of United Steelworkers have sent a letter to Mine Safety and Health Administration leader David Zatezalo requesting stricter regulation of respirable silica dust.

Washington — The Mine Safety and Health Administration’s planned Request for Information on respirable crystalline silica, scheduled for publication in July, will focus on personal protective equipment – mainly helmets with respirators – according to agency chief David Zatezalo.

Arlington, VA — The Mine Safety and Health Administration has revamped its Mine Data Retrieval System in an effort to add functionality and more intuitive navigation to the online tool.

Washington — The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement recently unveiled a free text message alert system that delivers the agency’s safety alerts and bulletins to offshore oil and gas workers on the Outer Continental Shelf.

Baton Rouge, LA — The OSHA Region 6 Training Institute Education Centers recently released a video on recognizing and controlling common hazards in oil and gas exploration.

Washington — Miners’ attitudes toward risky behavior may influence their susceptibility to near misses, according to a recent study.

Chicago — Long workdays and being new on the job are two factors that may heighten the risk of workplace injuries among miners, a recent study suggests.