AIHA® Comments on Miner Safety
and Health Bill
In a July 9 letter to Rep. George Miller,
chairman of the House Committee on
Education and Labor, AIHA issued
comments regarding legislation aimed
at updating health and safety laws in
the mining industry. H.R. 5663, the
Robert C. Byrd Miner Safety and
Health Act of 2010, was introduced in
response to concerns that arose after
29 miners were killed at the Massey
Energy Upper Big Branch Mine in
Montcoal, W.Va., in April.
In its correspondence, AIHA high-
lighted its support of the following re-
forms outlined in the mine reform
provisions of H.R. 5663:
• Making improvements to the criteria
for “pattern of violation” sanctions
• Ensuring irresponsible operators are
held accountable
• Providing MSHA with better enforce-
ment tools
• Protecting miners who speak out
about unsafe work conditions
• Updating mine and safety standards
to prevent explosions
In addition to expressing support of
specific reforms to MSHA, AIHA offered
comments to sections of the legislation
that would strengthen whistleblower
protections, enhance criminal penalties,
and require the correction of certain vi-
olations pending contest by the em-
ployer.
To read AIHA comments on the
Miner Safety and Health Act of 2010,
visit www.aiha.org/news-pubs/
govtaffairs/Documents/comment10_HR
5663-Comments-07-09-10.pdf.
Winners Galore
Peter L. Provost, CIH, REM, is the second quarter winner of the AIHA® Member-Get-a-Member (MGAM) Campaign. Provost won a $250 American Express Gift card and
will be entered into the grand prize drawing for the chance to win registration to
AIHce 2011 or PCIH 2011, airfare and hotel. For more information about MGAM, visit
www.aiha.org/aboutaiha/AIHAMembership/Pages/MemberGet-a-MemberPrizesand-Winners.aspx.
In addition, congratulations to Kim Becker, Wendy Pontefract, Dan Wurster, and
Jeff Behar, who each won $200 American Express Gift Cards via the Synergist
Fax-Back Card and online survey competitions. The fax-back card appears in each issue
of The Synergist (see page 41 in this issue); the online survey appears in each edition
of the weekly E-ssential Connections newsletter.
Online
Visit www.aiha.org/Synergist
Community to read more about
these and other AIHA news items.
Committee Notes 2010 Golden Seed Award Winner Announced At AIHce 2010, the Student and Early Career Professionals Committee (SECP) awarded its 2010 Golden Seed Award to Dennis Cesarotti, professor in the Northern Illinois University Department of Engineering and Technology. Dr. Cesarotti passed away in January of 2010; the award was accepted by Dr. Cesarotti’s widow. For an update on SECP activities at AIHce 2010, including summaries of SECP roundtables, go to www.aiha.org/news-pubs/ synergist/community/Pages/201007_SECPReportStudent ActivitiesinDenver.aspx. Dillon Award Recipient Publishes Paper in JOEH Luke Johnson, the 2009 H. Kenneth Dillon Award winner, will be published in the October issue of the Journalof Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (JOEH). The article is based on his winning poster presentation, “Cleaning Office Environments of Microbial Contaminants,” which describes his research on biosecurity and the decontamination of buildings deliberately contaminated with spore-forming bacteria. The H. Kenneth Dil- lon Award is presented annually at AIHce by the Biosafety and Environmental Microbiology Committee. Student Local Sections Share Honor On May 23, the AIHA® Local Sections Council presented the 2010 Student Local Section of the Year Award to Colorado State University’s Rocky Mountain Student Section and Murray State University. The award was given in recognition of these student local sections’ outstanding programming, activities and contribu- tions toward industrial hygiene excellence for the academic year of 2009–2010. Congratulations to both student local sections!
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