On April 18, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) issued its final rule to better protect miners against occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica. The final rule will not only cover contractors who operate surface mines, but also any contractor who performs construction or maintenance activities at a mine site. After the publication of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) final rule addressing exposure to crystalline silica, many surface mine operators established programs that incorporated the OSHA requirements.

Construction workers make up approximately five percent of the country’s workforce but account for an average of 19% of all job-related fatalities each year. Over the past 10 years, at least, an average of 372 workers were killed from falls, slips, and trips, and fall protection violations continue to be among the most cited standards in the construction industry, consistently topping the list of OSHA’s most frequently cited violations.