Stopping Silica Disease Is New Mine Safety Chief’s Top Priority

Improving protections from toxic silica dust is Christopher Williamson’s top priority as he takes the reins of the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Williamson, a West Virginia-raised labor attorney and the great-grandson of a union coal miner, took office as MSHA’s assistant secretary April 11 after winning Senate confirmation March 30. Since then, he’s focused on rulemaking around silica dust, a cause of lung disease among miners.

“I’ve jumped in headfirst to get into the weeds of it,” Williamson said in an interview with Bloomberg Law.

The new assistant secretary’s emphasis on silica protections means mine operators will face ...