NSSGA addresses regulations with US labor secretary
Left to right: NSSGA Vice President of Safety Joseph Casper; Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta; NSSGA Senior Vice President of Government and Regulatory Affairs Laura O’Neill Kaumo; NSSGA Vice President of Occupational & Environmental Health Dale Drysdale. Photo courtesy of NSSGA.
The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) met with U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta to address regulations faced by aggregate operations.
According to NSSGA, its members mainly addressed the effects of the Mine Safety & Health Administration’s (MSHA) upcoming workplace examination rule, which is set to go into effect on Oct. 2. NSSGA wants MSHA to provide clarity for what it says are vague definitions in the rule. For instance, the rule requires a work area must be examined before work begins. According to NSSGA, the rule doesn’t define what a working place is or what red flags detected during such an exam would warrant reporting.
MSHA could delay the regulation to allow for its complexities to be worked out and clearly articulated to the industry before proceeding, NSSGA adds.
“We let Secretary Acosta know that our industry wholeheartedly supports advancing President Trump’s ambitious agenda, especially when it comes to infrastructure investment and reforming onerous regulations,” says Laura O’Neill Kaumo, senior vice president of government and regulatory affairs at NSSGA. “Our members face an overwhelming amount of rules that impede their ability to produce the rocks that build America and offer little or no benefits for businesses and communities alike.”
At the meeting, NSSGA also highlighted regulations that would improve safety and environmental stewardship if updated to the current state of the industry.
About the Author: Allison Kral
Allison Kral is the former senior digital media manager for North Coast Media (NCM). She completed her undergraduate degree at Ohio University where she received a Bachelor of Science in magazine journalism from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. She works across a number of digital platforms, which include creating e-newsletters, writing articles and posting across social media sites. She also creates content for NCM's Portable Plants magazine, GPS World magazine and Geospatial Solutions. Her understanding of the ever-changing digital media world allows her to quickly grasp what a target audience desires and create content that is appealing and relevant for any client across any platform.Subscribe to Pit & Quarry
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