OSHA has acknowledged in its $570.5 million budget proposal for fiscal year 2014 (FY 14) that it plans to include lower permissible exposure limits (PELs) for crystalline silica in general industry and construction.

OSHA’s proposal, unveiled Wednesday, represents a $5.7 million increase over the last enacted budget in FY 2012.  Increases were proposed in the whistleblower program ($6 million), enforcement ($32,000) and in safety and health standards ($2.1 million).  There are offsetting decreases in other program areas.

A Pennsylvania coal operator must pay a $110,000 fine after being found guilty of a flagrant violation in a ruling that has further muddled how the “repeated failure” language of the flagrant provision in the MINER Act should be interpreted.

The year 2012 was the safest ever regarding injuries and fatalities in the U.S. mining industry, according to preliminary data released today by MSHA.

Production at Consol Energy’s Blacksville No. 2 Mine remains on hold as company officials continue to try and bring the underground coal mine back on line after a fire was detected more than three weeks ago. 

Company spokeswoman Lean Seay said late Wednesday that federal and state authorities and the union were implementing a plan approved earlier in the day by federal and state officials and the local union to examine a portion of the mine.

MSHA and the Labor Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) agree that the mine safety agency has made progress on improving its coal mine roof control plan process since the Crandall Canyon accident but differ somewhat on OIG’s findings that shortcomings remain.

MSHA has made significant progress in implementing recommendations following the Upper Big Branch-South (UBB) Mine tragedy, and there is no reason to believe the agency will not meet its deadline for acting on most of them.

MSHA is using money from the state grants program to offset budget losses that have occurred due to sequestration.

Although furloughs are in store at many agencies, there will be none this fiscal year at MSHA, the Washington Post reported last week.  In significant part, that is due to the agency’s transfer of $5 million from the state grants program.  The state grants funding cuts, which appear to be across the board, come to about 64%.  The program is authorized under Sec. 503(h) of the Mine Act.

A judge increased a proposed fine against a South Dakota aggregate operator five-fold after agreeing with MSHA the operator was highly negligent for continuing to conduct mining after it told the agency it had shut down.

Consol Energy officials today entered the coal producer’s Blackville No. 2 Mine for the first time since March 12, when black smoke coming through a ventilation shaft indicated that a fire had started underground.

Officials entered the mine along the Pennsylvania –West Virginia border this morning to assess conditions and following approval of the operator’s re-entry plan by MSHA, the state and the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA).