Mining/Oil/Gas

Washington – The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has scheduled a public forum to discuss critical offshore equipment failures.

Arlington, VA – The overall permissible level of respirable dust in coal mines has been lowered to 1.5 milligrams per cubic meter of air from 2.0 as part of the third – and final – phase of the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s rule on limiting miner exposure to coal mine dust.

Washington – In an effort to encourage the development of technology to combat work-related hearing loss, OSHA, NIOSH, and the Mine Safety and Health Administration have partnered on a new competition.

Washington – The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has issued a safety alert in response to two offshore incidents involving the use of a hydraulic pulling unit, or hydraulic casing jack.

Sacramento – California’s Department of Industrial Relations, together with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and the California Environmental Protection Agency, on July 14 published regulatory amendments intended to bolster safety for the state’s refinery workers and communities.

Arlington, VA – Virtually all respirable coal dust samples collected earlier this year complied with Mine Safety and Health Administration coal mine dust standards, the agency announced July 18.

Washington – A wide-ranging spending bill that proposes to cut funding for Department of Labor agencies – including OSHA – is difficult but necessary, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) said July 13 during a full committee markup of the Fiscal Year 2017 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education funding bill.

Arlington, VA – The Mine Safety and Health Administration has found no Pattern of Violations offenders among the nation’s more than 13,000 mines for the first time since POV reforms took effect in 2010, the agency announced June 29.

Is job stress an occupational safety and health issue? Some experts say “yes,” and that safety pros can play an important role in helping workers cope.

Washington – NIOSH has developed a mobile app to help miners assess the ergonomics of three mining tasks: bagging, maintenance and repair, and haul truck operations.