Mine Operators’ Attorneys Doubt an MSHA Virus Rule Will Emerge

Mine operators’ attorneys are starting to doubt whether the federal mine safety agency will issue an emergency temporary standard to protect workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A group of those lawyers discussed the prospects for a Mine Safety and Health Administration measure during the American Bar Association’s Occupational Safety and Health Midwinter Meeting on a Tuesday virtual conference panel discussion.

“I don’t think they are going to do it,” said Hank Moore, an attorney at Fisher & Phillips LLP in Pittsburgh. Citing increased vaccination availability and inevitable legal challenges to any promulgated rule, Moore said, “If they issue an ...