Does MSHA Have Jurisdiction Over Them Forever, Wherever They Go And However They Are Used? By Brian Hendrix If a haul truck or a hammer is used for mining or used at a mine, does MSHA have jurisdiction over them forever, wherever they go and however they are used? Put differently, does “jurisdiction follow equipment if it travels away from…
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Telling MSHA To Get Lost
What Not To Do; And What Happens If You Do Just That. By Brian Hendrix Denial of entry. You don’t need an attorney to tell you that you never want to see those words in an MSHA citation or order that MSHA has issued to you. You definitely do not want to see those words in a complaint against you…
Read MorePreparing for MSHA’s “Take Time Save Lives” Campaign
MSHA Is Focusing On Task Training, So Let’s Look Quickly At What’s Required And What You Can Do To Comply. By Brian Hendrix MSHA recently announced its “Take Time Save Lives” campaign to “reach miners, promote best practice resources, and ensure mine operators have the tools they need to fully train miners to use equipment.” This new campaign is MSHA’s…
Read MoreEmbarrassing MSHA Enforcement Actions
MSHA Has Issued A Number Of Citations Or Orders That Do Little To Advance Miner Safety And Health. You Won’t Believe Some Of Them. By Brian Hendrix No one is perfect, and humans make all sorts of mistakes for all sorts of reasons. Mine operators and miners make mistakes, and so do MSHA inspectors. Human nature, the complexity and dynamic…
Read MoreEmbarrassing MSHA Enforcement Actions
MSHA Has Issued A Number Of Citations Or Orders That Do Little To Advance Miner Safety And Health. You Won’t Believe Some Of Them.
Read MoreOIG’s Audit of MSHA Enforcement is a Mess
OIG Concluded That MSHA Wasn’t Effectively Managing the Enforcement Process. So What Does That Mean for You? By Brian Hendrix Audits aren’t fun for anyone, though it’s better to be the auditor rather than the auditee. Most of the time, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is basically the auditor. On occasion, MSHA is on the receiving end of…
Read MoreDrugs, MSHA Enforcement and Maslow’s Hammer
The Agency Often Neglects Or Undervalues Its Other Tools In Favor Of Enforcement. Why? By Brian Hendrix Without a doubt, MSHA is an enforcement agency. It walks, talks, thinks and acts like an enforcement agency. It sees itself as an enforcement agency. Enforcement is its favorite tool, and the tool that it uses most frequently. The trouble is that, after…
Read MoreMeeting the Next Assistant Secretary for MSHA
Does Christopher Williamson Have What It Takes To Serve As Head Of MSHA? Only Time Will Tell. By Brian Hendrix On Nov. 12, President Joe Biden nominated Christopher Williamson to serve as the next Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health. Williamson has secured the support of Sen. Manchin (D-W.Va.) and the United Mine Workers of America. As…
Read MoreMSHA’s Response to President Biden’s Vaccine ‘Mandate’
MSHA Deputy Assistant Secretary Jeannette Galanis, Informed Stakeholders That MSHA Would Not Issue An ETS. By Brian Hendrix Writing yet another column about the COVID-19 pandemic was high on my “To Don’t” list. You may feel the same way about reading another column about the pandemic. Yet, here we are, and we have President Biden to thank or to blame…
Read MoreCybersecurity Update
The Ransomware Pandemic and the Federal Government’s Increased Expectations for Private Industry. By Erik Dullea On Sept. 17, 2021, cybersecurity companies reported they had discovered a phishing campaign dubbed “Operation Layover” out of Nigeria that has been targeting the aviation industry for the last two years. Operation Layover remained undetected for such a long period of time because it kept a…
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