Items Tagged with 'mining industry safety'

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mining industry

MSHA upgrades its compliance assist system

June 17, 2019
The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) says it has completed a major upgrade to its primary data system that will increase functionality and allow for more intuitive navigation. The agency’s Mine Data Retrieval System (MDRS) enables operators monitor their compliance with MSHA regulations. The system provides access to comprehensive mine location, status, ownership, employment, production, accident/inspection/violations history, and health sampling data.
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government rulemaking

OSHA’s rulemaking procedure under scrutiny

Teenage health care worker regulation change prompted calls for review
February 1, 2019
The U.S. Department of Labor is investigating whether the U.S. Department of Labor under the Trump administration is following proper procedures when making regulatory changes to worker safety regulations. In a letter to Congressional Democrats, who’d requested an audit of the DOL’s rulemaking process, DOL Inspector General Scott S. Dahl said a review of the “integrity of the rulemaking process” at OSHA was already underway.
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mining industry

U.S. mining fatalities in 2018 were second lowest on record

January 14, 2019
The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reports that 27 mining fatalities occurred in 2018 - the second lowest number ever recorded. Eighteen fatalities occurred at surface operations; nine occurred in underground mines.
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lung x-ray

MSHA wants public input on mining rule study

July 24, 2018
The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) on a Retrospective Study of the final rule entitled "Lowering Miners' Exposure to Respirable Coal Mine Dust, Including Continuous Personal Dust Monitors" in the Federal Register.
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Women scientists who are advancing safety and health for miners

Amy Chambers, MS, and Lauren Chubb, DrPH strive to reduce corrosion, silica risks to miners
Valerie Coughanour MA, MFA
March 22, 2018
Amy Chambers, MS, is a research engineer working in the NIOSH Spokane Mining Research Division. She joined NIOSH in July 2015. Ms. Chambers seeks to ensure underground miners have a stable roof to work under. With a background in metallurgy, she is the lead engineer for corrosion research as part of a project to examine ground control (i.e., controlling the ground above an underground mine workspace) in metal mines.
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mining industry

Mine operators get warning about nonpayment of safety fines

March 9, 2018
Mine operators with safety violations have failed to pay millions of dollars they owe in penalties – a state of affairs David G. Zatezalo calls “unacceptable.” In a recent op-ed piece in The Intelligencer. Wheeling News-Register, Zatezalo said uncollected fines combined with continued violations “show disregard for the law and our nation’s miners.
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A Confined Space blog post

It’s always something: Dispatches from the front lines of the battle for workplace safety

Barab
Jordan Barab
February 20, 2018
Black Lung is Back: After almost being eradicated in the late 1990, black lung is back, with a vengeance. Epidemiologists at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health say they’ve identified the largest cluster of advanced black lung disease ever reported, according to an NPR story. “When I first implemented this clinic back in 1990, you would see … five [to] seven … PMF cases” a year, says Ron Carson, who directs Stone Mountain’s black lung program.
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