Last month, OSHA’s administrator for Region VII issued a press release announcing the agency’s intention to counter the increase in work-related fatalities in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. During the current fiscal year (Oct17-Sep18), OSHA has investigated 34 fatalities in these states. Sadly, that number has continued to rise in the weeks since the press release was issued. What can we learn from this announcement?
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Here’s an all-too-familiar story with an all-too-uncommon ending. An MSHA inspector saw equipment positioned a certain way, assumed that someone had used it unsafely in that position, and issued a citation. A judge then upheld the citation by giving more weight to the inspector’s assumption than to the worker’s sworn testimony about how he acted safely. But, in this case, the mine operator refused to accept that unfair result. They appealed… and won.
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On Tuesday, the Mine Safety and Health Administration announced a series of stakeholder meetings in August and September to discuss its pending request for information on “powered haulage” equipment. Given concerns that the RFI could lead to further rulemaking, many in industry are sure to take interest.
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Yesterday (July 30), OSHA published a proposed rule to amend its Injury & Illness Record-keeping standard, 29 CFR Part 1904. OSHA proposes two significant changes that address long-standing industry concerns.
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by Julia Banegas
How would the Trump administration’s government reorganization plan affect highly technical workplace safety programs, such as OSHA and MSHA? Part of the plan, announced June 21, 2018, proposes merging the Department of Labor (where OSHA and MSHA sit) and the Department Education into a new agency named the “Department of Education and the Workforce.”
The Husch Blackwell MSHA team will host a fall workshop on the topic of Defending Your Company During MSHA Litigation. The event will be held on Tuesday, November 6 through Thursday, November 8 in our Denver, CO office. This two-and-a-half day workshop will cover the legal and procedural processes involved in field inspections, citations and
The Trump administration’s recent regulatory agenda boasts that in it, “agencies continue to identify ineffective regulations for revision and repeal.” With several potential rules in the early stages, is MSHA’s agenda on that course, or is it a notable exception?
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As the mining industry continues to wait for any new direction at MSHA to reveal itself, last week, MSHA published a request for information (RFI) in the Federal Register that could be the beginning of a new rulemaking on powered haulage equipment. The RFI covers aspects of both surface and underground mines, as well as both coal and metal/non-metal.
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By Julia Banegas
With an open slot for the Trump administration to make an appointment, will the Chemical Safety Board (CSB) fall in line with the deregulatory agenda of other federal agencies or continue to recommend stricter rules?
As its new workplace exam rule took effect this month, MSHA has been posting sample workplace exam forms that mine operators may wish to use. While MSHA does not explicitly say that the forms are “official” or “approved,” the implication is that MSHA would accept these forms as complying with the new rule.
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