Within days of signing orders to ratchet up U.S. coal mining, the Trump administration had to temporarily halt a rule aimed at protecting miners from silica dust and black lung disease because of federal staffing cuts.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration in an online notice Wednesday said it was pushing back enforcement of a newly approved rule to limit miners’ exposure to dangerous dust, which can lead to incurable and debilitating lung disease, including silicosis, lung cancer and black lung.
According to the notice, the rule will now take effect Aug. 18 as opposed to April 14.
MSHA, which is a part of the Department of Labor, blamed the delay on restructuring at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH, which it said may have a knock-on effect on the Pittsburgh Mining Research Division, the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, and the supply of approved and certified respirators and personal dust monitors. NIOSH is a research agency within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention focused on research and making recommendations to prevent work-related injuries and illnesses.
