silicosis
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Tag archives for silicosis
A hearing on worker safety rule would open public debate, but White House thwarts it
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on March 20, 2013 Representatives of U.S. foundries met with White House officials behind closed doors to complain about a not-yet-proposed OSHA regulation. It was the group’s second such meeting. But they wouldn’t be necessary if the White House would simply allow OSHA’s public hearing process to take place.
Obama Administration’s silence on silica is deafening, 2 years and counting for OSHA proposal
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on February 14, 2013 Imagine an organization that is given 90 days to complete a task, but after two years still hasn’t finished the job. When you ask them ‘when we’ll you be done?’ they respond with ‘no comment.’ That’s what’s happening with a Labor Dept rule to protect workers from respirable silica.
House Republicans say the heck with black lung disease, have a coal miner postage stamp instead
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on July 19, 2012 While investigative reporters are exposing the plague of black lung disease in U.S. coal miners, the best Members of Congress are willing to do is ask for a postage stamp commemorating the American Coal Miner.
New study shows black lung and silicosis among U.S. surface coal miners, not just a problem for underground miners
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on June 19, 2012 A x-ray surveillance program finds nearly four dozen cases of coal workers pneumoconiosis among surface coal miners in the U.S., while coal operators including Alpha Natural Resources and CONSOL Energy insist that workers on strip mining jobs aren’t exposed to enough dust to cause disease.
Worker safety rule stuck in White House black hole, disease risk persists
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on April 12, 2012 More than 425 days—-that’s 14 months—-have passed since the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sent to the White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) a draft proposed regulation designed to protect workers who are exposed to respirable crystalline silica. The hazard is one of the oldest known causes of work-related…
What’s taking so long?
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on February 17, 2012 “What’s taking so long?” might be uttered by a youngster waiting for a parent to assemble a swing set, or an art patron waiting for a conservator to restore a masterpiece. When the wait is finally over and the eager child or art lover see the final product, they realize the time was well spent.…
Scientists urge White House to intervene in stalled worker safety rule
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on January 25, 2012 A group of 300 scientists, physicians and public health experts are urging President Obama to direct his Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to complete its review of a proposed Labor Department health standard on the carcinogen crystallline silica. OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) has been reviewing the proposed rule for nearly…
Federal advisory committee urges Obama Administration to act on worker safety regulations
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on January 5, 2012 A federal advisory committee is urging HHS Secretary Sebelius and Labor Secretary Solis to proceed expeditiously with new worker safety regulations. In letters sent recently to these Cabinet-level officials, the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health, (NACOSH) the committee used phrases such as “deeply distressed,” and “concerned and disappointed,” to characterize the Obama…
MSHA should scrap any plan to wait for OSHA action on respirable crystalline silica
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on November 25, 2011 Before too long the US Department of Labor (DOL) and other federal agencies should be issuing their annual regulatory plans and semi-annual agendas. These documents serve as official public notice of agencies’ regulatory (and deregulatory) priorities. The Regulatory Flexibility Act and Executive Order (EO) 12866 direct agency heads to release these documents in April (agenda)…
Congressman tells OSHA chief not to use “buzz” words like cancer
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on October 10, 2011 Freshman congressman Larry Bucshon (R-IN) scolded OSHA chief David Michaels for using the term “cancer” as a buzz word. The congressman, who is also a thoracic surgeon, said: “I don’t like it when people use buzz words that try to get people’s attention, and cancer is one of those.” The exchanged occured last week at…