Mining/Oil/Gas

Arlington, VA — Top-ranking Democrats in the House Education and the Workforce Committee and the Workforce Protections Subcommittee are questioning the legality of a Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission decision to remove a Sophia, WV, mine from Mine Safety and Health Administration Pattern of Violations status.

Washington — The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has found “noticeable gaps” in safety regarding fired vessels on a few offshore oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico that “warrant attention to prevent or mitigate uncontrolled releases of hydrocarbons, toxic substances or other materials,” according to an agency safety alert issued Oct. 2.

Arlington, VA — The Mine Safety and Health Administration has awarded $250,000 in safety training grants to four organizations as part of its Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety Grants Program, the agency announced Sept. 28.

Washington — The Department of Labor’s regulatory agenda for fall 2018, released Oct. 17, contains few changes for OSHA and the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Washington — NIOSH has unveiled a beta version of an online software tool designed to provide post-shift assessments of mine worker exposure to respirable crystalline silica.

Richmond, British Columbia — More Canadian oil and gas workers in the drilling sector are showing signs of job-related hearing loss, according to a recent study from WorkSafeBC.

Washington — The Senate made no changes to its proposed budgets for safety agencies in an appropriations “minibus” passed Aug. 23. Meanwhile, an amendment to protect the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s coal dust rule failed, but another intended to increase participation in black lung screening programs was added.

Arlington, VA — The Mine Safety and Health Administration is requesting input on its updated Mine Data Retrieval System, an online tool intended to assist miners with accessing data and visualizations, including operator history.

Washington — Offshore drilling rig operators in the Gulf of Mexico reported 1,129 blowout preventer equipment component failures in 2017, according to the latest annual report from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement’s SafeOCS reporting system.

Montreal — Canadian scientific research organization IRSST has released a new video intended to ensure the optimal use of backup alarms “under realistic working conditions.”