The Chinese translation is being made; the original is shown for now.
To help the regulated community comply with safety and health requirements and reduce the litigation financial burden on mine operators, MSHA recently created the Conference Litigation and Investigative Resources group.
The CLIR group will include both Conference Litigation representatives and special investigators. Conference Litigation representatives and special investigators will no longer report to district managers. The agency expects the new structure to result in more Part 100 Conferences that will ultimately reduce the litigation cost to operators.
District managers previously had the authority to approve safety and health conferences and any modifications to violations discussed. This often resulted in widespread inconsistencies in how similar situations were handled across districts, which affected how operators approached their compliance with MSHA standards.
The CLIR group will now oversee this process for most citations and orders issued to operators but will not grant conferences for cases that involve accidents, fatalities or complex legal issues.
The CLIR group has the authority to grant conference requests and to modify citations if facts warrant. Once completed, citations and orders discussed during the conference are referred to MSHA’s Office of Assessments for a proposed penalty.
Mine operators retain the right to contest any violation before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission.
Operators can also contact MSHA for information about compliance assistance resources and free help on complying with MSHA standards.
The post MSHA announces overhaul of alternative case resolution procedures first appeared on North American Mining Magazine.