Mining/Oil/Gas

Washington – Scott Angelle is the new director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the federal agency announced May 22. His appointment was effective May 23.

Washington – OSHA needs to work more efficiently to ensure employers are reducing or eliminating hazards, the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General recommended in its semiannual report to Congress.

Oakland, CA – The Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board for California’s Department of Industrial Relations has approved a regulation aimed at “anticipating, preventing and responding to hazards” at the state’s oil refineries.

Arlington, VA – The Mine Safety and Health Administration has delayed until Oct. 2 the effective date of a final rule intended to improve pre-shift examinations of metal and non-metal mines, according to a notice published in the May 22 Federal Register.

Washington – Days after his May 10 release from federal prison after serving a one-year sentence for violating mine safety laws, former Massey Energy Co. CEO Don Blankenship sent a letter to President Donald Trump asking him not to consider legislation that would strengthen punishments for mine supervisors who knowingly flout safety rules.

Arlington, VA – Mine Safety and Health Administration inspectors will conduct safety “walk and talks” with miners and mine operators during upcoming visits in response to a recent increase in mining deaths involving lone workers.

Washington – Fatal falls among workers in the oil and gas extraction industry occur most often during rigging procedures or when workers remove or insert a drill pipe into a wellbore, according to research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Washington – The Mine Safety and Health Administration needs to provide better oversight of coal mine operators’ emergency response plans, according to a recent audit conducted by the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.

Montreal – Scientific research organization IRSST has released a pamphlet intended to help workers recognize Hypothenar Hammer Syndrome.

Arlington, VA – The Mine Safety and Health Administration is proposing to delay until July 24 the effective date of a final rule intended to improve pre-shift examinations of metal and non-metal mines.