Earlier today, the United States Senate voted to confirm David G. Zatezalo as the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health. The vote split along party lines, with all 52 Republican Senators voting to confirm the nominee and every Democratic Senator voting against him. Zatezelo should be sworn in later this week or…

The Trump Administration is expected to nominate Scott Mugno, a FedEx Vice President (of Safety, Sustainability and Vehicle Maintenance), to lead OSHA.  Mugno is an attorney that started his career with FedEx in 1994. Mugno is expected to be nominated as the Assistant Secretary of Labor and would have the leadership role at OSHA.

As the new leaders at MSHA start to report to work, what changes should they consider? From my work helping mine operators navigate MSHA compliance and challenges, a number of broad trends have emerged in recent years. In the current issue of Coal Age, I consider 10 changes that could make a difference.

OSHA has announced the top 10 most frequently cited workplace safety regulations in fiscal year 2017.  The top 5 standards remain the same as last year, with slight movement in the rankings of other standards.  Employers should consider using this list as guidance for their workplace safety programs and their internal compliance audits.

It’s hard to avoid the Harvey Weinstein scandal in the news this week.  For those that missed it, Weinstein, a movie executive and co-founder of Miramax and The Weinstein Company, was terminated after multiple women came forward with detailed allegations of sexual harassment and assault. While many of the women who have come forward were aspiring actresses and not company employees, at least one of those women was a 25-year-old receptionist. A recent New Yorker article states that Weinstein, the company CEO, made overt sexual advances toward this woman at least a dozen times. The young woman told the New Yorker she was “very afraid” of Weinstein, but she still reported the incidents to the company. It was reported that sixteen former and current executives and assistants at Weinstein’s companies had witnessed or had knowledge of his behavior (relating to various women), but it does not appear that the company thoroughly investigated or took action to properly address the reports and allegations.

The dramatic evacuation of a 1.5-mile area around the Arkema, Inc. organic peroxide plant in Crosby, Texas, in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey has renewed interest in pending amendments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Risk Management Program and may well affect the outcome of EPA’s reconsideration of these amendments.

David Zatezalo, a former coal mining executive from West Virginia, will be President Trump’s nominee for assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health, the White House announced on Saturday in a long list of nominee announcements. In that role, he will head up the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).