May 22, 2017 – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration announced it is extending the effective date of the agency’s final rule on Examinations of Working Places in Metal and Nonmetal Mines until Oct. 2, 2017. This extension will allow additional time for MSHA to provide training and compliance assistance for its stakeholders. MSHA is developing a variety of compliance assistance materials to assist the industry, which the agency will make available to stakeholders and post on its website. MSHA claims the extension will enable the agency to hold informational meetings and focus on compliance assistance visits at various locations around the country. Additional time will also allow MSHA to train its inspectors to assure consistent enforcement. The truth is, MSHA’s regulatory authority will be very much curtailed for the foreseeable future.