Mining/Oil/Gas

Arlington, VA – Eight miners were killed on the job from July 1 to Sept. 30, bringing the total number of fatalities in 2014 to 30, the Mine Safety and Health Administration announced Oct. 28.

Arlington, VA – Recent results of coal dust samples indicate that mines are complying with a final rule intended to decrease miner exposure to harmful coal dust, according to the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Arlington, VA – The number of “chronic” violators among mine operators has decreased by 76 percent since 2010, the Mine Safety and Health Administration announced recently.

Arlington, VA – The Mine Safety and Health Administration has extended, for the fourth time, the comment period for its Request for Information regarding refuge alternatives in underground coal mines.

Arlington, VA – The Mine Safety and Health Administration has extended to Dec. 3 the comment period for a proposed rule that would revise procedures for assessing civil penalties.

Sacramento, CA – A new California law intended to improve the state’s access to petroleum companies’ safety records has drawn the ire of some free-speech activists, who claim employers can use the law to limit public access to certain documents.

Washington – The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement is requesting public feedback until Nov. 24 on how to improve helicopter-related safety on fixed offshore facilities for oil and gas operations on the Outer Continental Shelf.

Morgantown, WV – The prevalence of a severe form of black lung disease has increased recently to levels not seen in about 40 years, new NIOSH data shows.

New Orleans – The Chemical Safety Board has the authority to investigate the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed in a ruling issued Sept. 18.

Washington – President Barack Obama has designated Patrick Nakamura as acting chairman of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission.