Last week the Senate introduced the Robert C. Byrd Mine and Workplace Safety and Health Act of 2010 (S. 3671), a bill that – like its House companion bill (H.R. 5663) – would improve mine safety as well as significantly revise the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act. Among other things, the bill would increase Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) oversight and accountability, impose new mine safety requirements, strengthen whistleblower protections for employees in all industries, increase employer civil and criminal penalties for repeat and/or willful violations of the OSH Act, require the abatement of hazards during the citation contest period, and provide greater rights for victims of accidents and their family members to participate in OSH Act proceedings. A summary of this legislation can be found here.

The House version was recently approved by the House Committee on Education and Labor. On July 13, the House committee held a hearing to hear testimony and discuss the various provisions of the measure.