The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) recently released changes to the conferencing system. The new structure centralizes authority under national supervisors rather than local District Managers.
In a February 13, 2026 decision, Cedar Springs Hospital v. Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC), No. 24-9519 (10th Cir. 2026), the Tenth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals reaffirmed the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s (OSHA) authority to cite healthcare employers for workplace violence under the OSHA’s General Duty Clause. The court upheld OSHA citations issued to a Colorado psychiatric hospital, as well as related penalties against the hospital’s management company based on common ownership. The court rejected three main arguments posited by the hospital.
On Monday, April 4, 2022, OSHA released a new memorandum to regional administrators regarding enforcement of OSHA’s rule requiring electronic submittal of injury and illness records.
Each week, the agency will be running a computer program to identify employers who might not be complying. While OSHA originally predicted almost half a million employers would need
Last year, the mining industry experienced its second lowest annual fatality rate, and the injury and illness rates remained low. The industry doesn’t appear to have lost any ground on safety or health during the current global pandemic, but holding ground will be easier than improving upon it. To improve, many in the industry are
Coal mine operators could face a dilemma with the annual proficiency and training requirements of the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act (Miner Act) and the regulations Subpart Mine Rescue Teams for Underground Coal Mines conflicting with COVID-19 risk mitigation efforts.
COVID-19 has not derailed the “One MSHA Initiative,” MSHA’s effort to blur the “distinction between coal and metal/non-metal enforcement for more efficient use of resources.” That’s not a surprise, given the commitment of MSHA’s leadership to the Initiative and the fact that it started back in 2018.
Today, Virginia’s new and detailed COVID-19 regulation takes effect. The rule, an “emergency temporary standard” (ETS), was adopted July 15th by the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI). Unlike general guidance and recommendations issued by CDC and federal OSHA, the Virginia rule requires all employers regulated by DOLI to develop, implement, and enforce COVID-19 prevention and mitigation measures. Read on for a detailed summary of the rule’s requirements.
All bets are off as regulatory agencies are tugged in every direction in pandemic world. Normally, an election year probably would not have seen particularly aggressive enforcement or rulemaking. For a while, COVID-19 health precautions and furloughed work sites meant reduced inspection activity. But, enforcement may be picking up, and a battle over new regulations is brewing. Here’s your full update.
After issuing in guidance in April that leaned against recording most COVID-19 cases, OSHA has now walked back that guidance somewhat. What’s the new guidance on recording your employee’s case of COVID-19? Read on.
Now for a story that has nothing to do with viruses… In last month’s Rock Products magazine, our colleague Charles Fleischmann analyzed MSHA’s revisions to its inspection procedures. To find out what’s new and different in MSHA inspection policies, read on.