(This meeting was held as scheduled, and the discussion and other information are at the bottom of this post.)On Monday, February 1, Secretary Solis and DOL agency heads will unveil President Obama’s fiscal year 2011 budget for the Department of Labor via live Web chat from 1 to 3 pm EST. Built around the vision of “Good Jobs for Everyone,” the budget launches innovative ways to prepare workers for 21st Century jobs, and makes new investments in worker protection programs. Stakeholder groups, the general public and the news media are encouraged to participate by submitting questions through e-mail, Twitter and telephone.
http://www.dol.gov/budget/chat-solis.htm#protections
2011 DOL Budget -
Live Q&A Session
NOTE: If you are unable to access the live chat window, please go to the static comments page and refresh the page for new comments.
Schedule
How to Participate:
- Enter your question directly into the live chat window below
- Use the hashtag #DOLBUDGET on Twitter
- Call our National Contact Center at 1-866-487-2365
- E-mail us at webmaster@dol.gov
Workforce Investment Chat Participants:
Worker Protections Chat Participants:
Follow-up Information on the meeting above:Summary of the meeting, regarding the MSHA portions, submitted by a reader of this website. (Thank you very much, by the way!):On Monday February 1, 2010 Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis released the 2011 Budget Request of $13.98 Billion, of that $360,780,000 is for MSHA.
In FY 2011, MSHA proposes to improve safety and health conditions in the mining workplace by:
* Targeting the most common causes of fatal accidents;
* Reducing health risks;
* Improving training of new and inexperienced miners and contractors;
* Targeting the most egregious and persistent violators;
* Improving impoundment safety;
* Improving MSHA and mining industry emergency response preparedness; and
* Protecting miners’ rights against discrimination for reporting hazardous conditions.
Secure Safe and Healthy Workplaces, Particularly In High-Risk Industries:
MSHA contributes directly to the attainment of safe and healthy workplaces by its efforts to reduce mining fatalities and serious injuries and illnesses, which are reflected in its performance indicators below. MSHA’s fatality rate calculates the number of fatalities per 200,000 hours worked over a five-year period in the mining industry. The following indicators for safer mining workplaces will be measured in FY 2011:
Enforcement:
Five-year rolling average of fatal injuries per 200,000 hours worked
Percent of inspector respirable coal mine dust samples exceeding the applicable standard for Designated Occupations
Percent of noise exposures in coal mines above the citation level
Percent of Metal and Nonmetal Mines conducting their own silica dust surveys and noise evaluations for miners
Improve the Timeliness of Discrimination Complaint Investigations:
Percent of investigations of miner discrimination complaints that are completed within 60 days of receipt
Percent of investigations of miner requests for temporary reinstatement that are completed within 20 days of receipt
MSHA will implement several initiatives to reach the targets for its performance indicators and achieve its high priority goal to Reduce Workplace Deaths. MSHA has evaluated the historical data and will target the 24 most frequently cited standards that cause or contribute to fatal accidents. MSHA intends to enhance enforcement to target these violations of the identified standards and concurrently develop and implement training strategies for improving compliance. MSHA will enhance its efforts to screen mine operators for potential patterns of violations which most frequently cause or contribute to fatal accidents and require that mine operators who are found to have a potential pattern of violations develop and implement an ongoing comprehensive safety and health management program that targets the reduction of conditions which most frequently contribute to significant accidents.
MSHA will contribute to the attainment of healthy workplaces by its efforts to reduce miners’ exposure to coal and silica dust and other health hazards. MSHA will address respirable coal dust by the development and implementation of a comprehensive black lung strategy which involves rulemaking, education and training, health outreach, and enhanced enforcement. These efforts will include using focused audits to target the most egregious and persistent violators by aggressively investigating and acting on unlawful respirable dust sampling practices. MSHA will increase the surveillance in the metal and nonmetal mining sector.
Voice in the Workplace:
Miners will be encouraged to report any hazardous conditions that they encounter via telephone or by using the Hazardous Condition Complaint form located on MSHA’s internet site. MSHA will improve its process to investigate miners’ discrimination complaints and complete investigations of knowing and willful violations.
MSHA expects that by implementing these initiatives it can effect significant and measurable reductions in mining deaths and health risks.
_____________________
During a Web chat on Monday 2/1/10 Secretary Solis and Joe Main, the Assistant Secretary of MSHA answered the following questions about the MSHA budget;
[Comment From Guest Guest: ]
Could you comment specifically on the budget for MSHA and what the goal there is?
Secretary Solis:
MSHA's goals are to reduce deaths, injuries and diseases from mining. The MSHA budget is constructed to support a number of safety and health initiatives, and assure that MSHA can implement the Mine Act to address these goals.
[Comment From Ken Ward Jr. Ken Ward Jr.: ]
Could you outline how the proposed budget affects MSHA and ongoing efforts to eliminate black lung disease and do away with mining deaths?
Secretary Solis:
The budget is designed to carry out implementation of the Mine Act. That includes complete inspections of mines (including health inspections). MSHA has launched a special program to End Black Lung and is launching another focused on prevention of mining deaths. Both programs include education and improved enforcement
[Comment From Kathy Snyder MS&HN Kathy Snyder MS&HN: ]
Perhaps you would give us a run-down on prospects for miner safety and health in 2011?
Joe Main:
In FY 2011, MSHA will improve safety and health conditions in the mining workplace by targeting the most common causes of fatal accidents, reducing health risks, and improving miners training. We will also focus on improving impoundment safety as well as emergency response preparedness. The budget is designed, fundamentally, to assure implementation of the Mine Act – including complete inspection of all mines. The 2011 budget will permit MSHA to continue and expand efforts to end black lung disease and prevent fatalities.
[Comment From James Sharpe James Sharpe: ]
How much money has been set aside for the state grants training program?
Joe Main:
The 2011 Budget includes $8,441,000.00 for state grant assistance, and $500,000.00 for Brentwood-Sago Grants.
[Comment From Bruce Bruce: ]
The budget proposal includes an increase of $4 million for the Mine Safety and Health Administration. Can you identify the MSHA programs that will be increased and by what amount?
Joe Main:
The program increases will incur in the metal and non-metal program, the Office of Standards, the Technical Support program, and the programs responsible of MSHA's computer systems and technology.
[Comment From James Sharpe James Sharpe: ]
Is there an increase in the budget for enforcement and, if so, by how much? Please break down the answer by Coal vs. Metal/Non-Metal.
Joe Main:
The budget request includes an increase of 4.8 million dollars for MSHA enforcement programs. The Coal Program has an increase of $397,000; the metal / non-metal program received an increase of 3.5 million, and the Office of Standards grew by $841,000.
[Comment From Kathy Snyder Kathy Snyder: ]
For Joe Main: I sent this Q in to Secy Solis, too, but it seems there was not enough time for her to answer it. The MSHA budget calls for eliminating the Small Mine Safety office that provides consultation to small mine operators who usually don't have their own professional health and safety personnel. This is $2.3 m and 21 FTE. Is MSHA still going to be able to assist these mines, and if so, how?
Joe Main:
Yes, MSHA believes that assistance to small mines is needed, and we are making changes to improve that assistance. Personnel from the Small Mines Office and the work they are doing will be integrated throughout the Agency. This will bring small mines assistance closer to the mines and the mine operators.
Small mines assistance expertise will be delivered primarily through our coal and metal / non-metal program areas. We have initiated discussions with the mining community to improve the quality and value of this important area of work.
The Chat:http://www.dol.gov/budget/chat-solis-static.htmThe Budget:http://www.dol.gov/dol/budget/2011/PDF/CBJ-2011-V2-12.pdf
