ASA Considers MSHA Silica Proposal
ASA, along with the Construction Industry Safety Coalition (CISC), are drafting comments on the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) Silica Proposal, which has extended the comment period until September 11th, 2023. It seems that there could be some conflicts between the MSHA proposal and the OSHA final regulations, which could offer some challenges to construction employers in the future. To avoid confusion, there should be one, similar set of rules and exposure limits for employers that do work in both OSHA and MSHA locations and occupancies.
MSHA is a large agency of the United States Department of Labor administering the provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine Act) to enforce compliance with mandatory safety and health standards to eliminate fatal accidents, to reduce the frequency and severity of nonfatal accidents, to minimize health hazards, and to promote improved safety and health conditions in the nation's mines. MSHA carries out the mandates of the Mine Act at all mining and mineral processing operations in the United States, regardless of size, number of employees, commodity mined, or method of extraction.