Citizen Health & Safety / Workplace Safety
Updated: Possible Senate Shenanigans on the REINS Act
Nov 2, 2011 by Rick Melberth*
There are rumblings that as soon as today, the Senate GOP may begin to offer up the Regulations from the Executive In Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act (S. 299) as an amendment to, or a substitute for, bills moving to the Senate floor for a vote. Such a move would limit the public's ability to have a say on this damaging legislation.
read in fullMine Workers Accuse Massey Energy of "Industrial Homicide"
Oct 27, 2011 by Rick Melberth*
The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) released a report Oct. 25 accusing Massey Energy, the owner of the Upper Big Branch (UBB) mine in West Virginia, of "industrial homicide" for its role in the April 5, 2010, explosion that killed 29 coal miners.
read in fullAnalysis of the Regulatory Accountability Act: An Unjustified, Dangerous Overhaul of Federal Rulemaking Law
Sep 30, 2011
The Regulatory Accountability Act (RAA), announced by Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH), Mark Pryor (D-AR), and Susan Collins (R-ME) and Reps. Lamar Smith (R-TX) and Collin Peterson (D-MN) on Sept. 22, is a radical overhaul of the federal rulemaking process that would result in a system that allows powerful special interests to dominate. The bill would cast aside public health, worker safety, and environmental quality goals that are the basis of so many public protections and make estimated costs to businesses and the economy the most important consideration in rulemaking.
MSHA Failed to Watchdog Deviant Mine Company
May 19, 2011 by Matthew Madia
Today, the Governor’s Independent Investigation Panel submitted to the governor of West Virginia its report on the Upper Big Branch (UBB) mine disaster that killed 29 men in April 2010. Liz Borkowski at The Pump Handle blog has a detailed summary. Be sure to read it, especially if you’re going to bypass the 126-page report.
read in fullHouse Gets Amnesia, Passes Bill to Rush Oil Drilling
May 11, 2011 by Matthew Madia
The House of Representatives today passed a bill that sets ridiculous and dangerous deadlines for the approval of oil drilling permits. According to Earthjustice, “Sponsored by Doc Hastings (R-WA), H.R. 1229 requires the Department of Interior to decide whether to approve a drilling permit within 30 days after receiving an application and allows only two 15-day extensions of this deadline.”
read in fullWorkers Memorial Day and New Report Highlight Risk to U.S. Workers
May 4, 2011
April 28 marked Workers Memorial Day and the 40th anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). On the same day, the AFL-CIO released its annual report on the state of the health and safety of American workers, Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect.
read in fullIssa Feigns Sympathy for Oil Spill’s Victims
Apr 20, 2011 by Matthew Madia
Rep. Darrell Issa, chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, is using the one-year anniversary of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster as an opportunity to criticize the Obama administration for exercising more caution when issuing offshore drilling permits. After the spill, “the Administration’s subsequent assault on off-shore drilling has [damaged] economically vulnerable communities,” Issa says.
read in fullRegulations Do Not Hinder U.S. Job Market, Paper Finds
Apr 19, 2011
Regulations designed to protect consumers, workers, and the environment do not have a negative impact on the job market and, in some cases, actually spur job creation, according to new research from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). The EPI paper, Regulation, Employment, and the Economy: Fears of job loss are overblown, shows that recent criticism surrounding regulations' impact on jobs is misguided and not reflective of economic data.
MSHA Finally Bringing Out the Big Guns
Apr 14, 2011 by Matthew Madia
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has added two mines to its Pattern of Violations (POV) list, which triggers closer MSHA scrutiny for mines with historically poor safety records. It is the first time MSHA has listed a mine in the POV program’s 33-year history.
read in fullOne Year Later, Massey Still Puts Miners at Risk
Apr 5, 2011
One year after an explosion killed 29 miners at the Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) continues to cite the mine's owner, Massey Energy, for significant safety and health hazards at the company's other mines.
