The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) announced on May 22, 2017, that it is extending the effective date of the agency’s Final Rule on Examinations of Working Places in Metal and Nonmetal Mines until October 2, 2017. This is the second extension of the rule’s effective date; MSHA’s initial extension was made earlier this year.  According to MSHA’s press release, this extension will “allow additional time for MSHA to provide training and compliance assistance for its stakeholders.”

To that end, MSHA stated that it is developing a variety of compliance assistance materials to assist the industry, which the agency will make available to stakeholders and post on its website. The extension will also supposedly enable the agency to hold informational meetings and focus on compliance assistance visits at various locations around the country. MSHA also stated that the additional time will provide for the agency’s training its inspectors for consistent enforcement under the new requirements of the standard.

Ogletree Deakins will continue to monitor developments and will provide updates on the firm’s Mine Safety blog as they become available.