The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals has cleared the way for two miners’ widows to pursue a lawsuit against the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) for its admitted failure to inspect and enforce safety regulations at the Aracoma Coal Company’s Alma Mine #1 in that state.

December impact inspections by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) found one of the lowest number of violations to date, but Joseph A. Main, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health said: "We still see some mines that fail to address recurring problems that put miners at risk."

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis last week announced a final rule to strengthen safety in the nation's most dangerous mines. The rule, which revises the Mine Safety and Health Administration's pattern of violations regulation in 30 Code of Federal Regulations Part 104, has been submitted to the Federal Register for publication.

In a decision applauded as a victory for miners' rights, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit rejected an appeal by Cordero Mining LLC of Gillette, Wyo., in a worker discrimination case. The worker, a shovel operator with 28 years of experience as a miner, filed a complaint with the Mine Safety and Health Administration in May 2010, claiming she was terminated in retaliation for her repeated safety complaints.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is making good on MSHA head Joseph A. Main’s vow to “vigorously investigate” all discrimination complaints.

Mining fatality and injury rates fell to an all-time low in 2011 according to data recently released from the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Fears of discrimination and retaliation sometimes prevent miners from objecting to health and safety violations, according to Mine Safety and Health Administration chief Joseph Main.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration's final rule "Examinations of Work Areas in Underground Coal Mines for Violations of Mandatory Health or Safety Standards,” becomes effective today.

Stepped-up efforts by the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to educate miners about their safety and health rights, investigate discrimination complaints,and take legal action have led to a marked increase in the number of miners temporarily reinstated to their jobs after filing complaints of discrimination in the form of a suspension, layoff, discharge or other adverse action.

An Obama administration plan to decrease black lung disease by reducing the amount of respirable dust to which coal miners are exposed has gotten the nod from the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO), which has determined that scientific research behind proposed exposure limits is valid.