On September 9, America’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) announced that it will hold three public hearings in October 2010 to gather information about effective comprehensive safety and health management programs at mines.
The public meetings will be held as follows:
- October 8, 2010 – MSHA National Office, Arlington, Virginia
- October 12, 2010 – Embassy Suites, Sacramento, California
- October 14, 2010 – Omni William Penn Hotel, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
MSHA has requested that academia, safety and health professionals, industry organisations, unions, and other government agencies present information on best practices for safety and health programs at these hearings. MSHA will use the information from the hearings to help develop a proposed rule for Safety and Health Management Programs for mines which will allow miners and operators to be proactive in their approach to health and safety.
MSHA announced that it has reviewed a number of existing guidelines for safety and health management programs, including those published by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), the International Standards Organization (ISO), and the British Standards Institution (BSI). According to MSHA, these “guidelines” reveal that effective safety and health management systems generally include the following components:
- Management commitment
- Worker involvement
- Hazard identification, including workplace examinations for violations
- Hazard prevention and control
- Safety and health training
- Program evaluation.
MSHA Assistant Secretary Joe Main indicated in his Congressional testimony this past spring that the development of a requirement for a comprehensive and effective safety and health management program at mines is one of his top priorities.
In addition to the public meetings, MSHA is seeking written comments on all aspects of safety and health management programs. Comments must be submitted by December 17, 2010. A copy of the Federal Register notice is available on MSHA’s homepage and can be found here: http://www.msha.gov/REGS/FEDREG/NOTICES/2010Misc/2010-22403.asp