Industry Balks as Democrats Press for Mine Safety, OSHA Changes

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Prompted by the deadly explosion in April that killed 29 coal miners in West Virginia, a House of Representatives committee recently approved sweeping mine and workplace safety reforms.

The 30-17 vote came over the objections of the mine industry despite last-minute changes to exempt all mines except underground coal mines and about 10 other underground mines that produce flammable gases.

“Families should not live in fear that their loved one will not come home from their shift,” said Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., chairman of the House Education and Labor committee.

The bill would increase penalties for serious mine safety violations, make it easier for the government to shut down problem mines and offer more protection for whistle-blowers. Mines shut down for a pattern of violations would have to keep paying workers during the closure.

A vote in the full House is expected before year’s end.

Mine owners and Republicans called the legislation premature because investigations have not yet revealed the cause of the massive explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine in Montcoal, W.Va. They said the bill focuses too much on stiffer penalties without correcting flaws in how the Mine Safety and Health Administration applies the rules.

Democrats say the measure would rein in bad actors in the mining industry. The Upper Big Branch, owned by Massey Energy Co., was cited for dozens of ventilation problems, but had tied up many of those penalties in litigation.

GOP lawmakers also complained that the measure goes too far by overhauling other job safety laws affecting nearly every private business in the country.

Democrats say the changes to the Occupational Safety and Health Act respond to a spate of deadly explosions at refineries, power plants and food processing plants.

The bill would sharply increase penalties for all private employers, strengthen whistle-blower laws and require businesses to fix major violations immediately.

The Senate has yet to take up its own mine safety measure. The broader penalties in the House bill affecting other private employers have drawn heavy criticism from business groups and may not survive in the Senate version.

Adding workplace safety laws to a bill intended to address mine safety “is not the right approach, especially at a time when our nation needs jobs,” said Keith Smith, for the National Association of Manufacturers.

Lawmakers in both chambers have said they want a mine safety bill passed this year.