In an effort to prevent and deter crimes that put the lives and the health of workers at risk, the Departments of Justice and Labor have put in place a plan to more effectively prosecute such crimes. Under the plan, the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices will work with OSHA, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) to investigate and prosecute worker endangerment violations.

In the wake of a deadly day in mining in which three miners lost their lives in separate incidents in Nevada, North Dakota and Virginia on Aug. 3, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is stepping up enforcement efforts and intensifying outreach and education nationwide.

Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health Joseph A. Main told members at the annual convention of the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association in Baltimore earlier this week that mining industry improvements in the past five years have laid the foundation for better protections for miners.

OSHA and the MSHA are back in business, a PSM case study in India and construction safety in NYC were among the EHS-related stories featured on ISHN.com this week:

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration’s inspectors issued 213 citations, 23 orders and one safeguard during special impact inspections conducted at nine coal mines and five metal/nonmetal mines last month.