Federal Mine Safety and Health Commission redefines the S&S standard, which means that S&S names are more likely to be confirmed | Husch Blackwell LLP

<meta name="description" content="On September 19, 2025, the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission issued a decision, Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company,"/><meta property="og:locale" content="en_US"/><meta property="og:type" content="article"/><meta property="og:title" content="Federal Mine Safety and Health Commission Redefines S&S Standard, Making S&S Designations More Likely to Be Upheld"/><meta property="og:description" content="On September 19, 2025, the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission issued a decision, Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company,"/><meta property="og:url" content="https://www.safetylawmatters.com/2025/10/federal-mine-safety-and-health-commission-redefines-ss-standard-making-ss-designations-more-likely-to-be-upheld/"/><meta property="og:site_name" content="Safety Law Matters"/><meta property="article:published_time" content="2025-10-03T16:44:51+00:00"/><meta property="article:modified_time" content="2025-10-03T16:45:17+00:00"/><meta property="og:image" content="https://images.bannerbear.com/direct/y0aJ23zRDdqMxX4OGl/requests/000/107/993/971/8A5gBlRXpzoV3xvAYn2x19qkE/3b5a6fd083282b5bbc860373e049f8b0b52ec546.png"/><meta property="og:image:width" content="2560"/><meta property="og:image:height" content="1710"/><meta property="og:image:type" content="image/jpeg"/><meta name="author" content="Donna Pryor"/><meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"/><meta name="msapplication-TileImage" content="https://www.safetylawmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/629/2017/02/cropped-favicon-275x275.png"/><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"/></p> <p>On September 19, 2025, the Commission for Security and Health Check the Bundesmine for Security and Health Care issued a decision, <em>Labor against Labor against Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company</em>which redefined the interpretation of the “significant and essential” (S&S) standards of Section 104 (d) of the federal law on the federal security and health for the federal mines. The standard has to change over the decades. The secretary did not request the S&S test to be checked in the appeal procedure. However, the decision of the Commission revised the test to only (1) to demand a danger to which the violation could contribute, and (2) that the violation contributes significantly and significantly to this danger – which is considerably easier for the Minister of Labor (and the MSHA inspectors) to support and maintain allegations.</p> <figure><strong style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Scope of the S&S standard: </strong>The S&S standard applies to all mining examinations and serves as a goal for progressive enforcement. It can increase potential punishments, support a pattern of violations and initiate the process in the direction of a future retreat.</figure> <p><strong>Important findings from the decision of the Commission</strong></p> <ol> <li>The Commission found the <em>Math </em>Do not test processable. The test required four elements to determine whether a violation has contributed significantly and significantly to the cause and effect of the danger: (1) an underlying violation of an obligatory security standard; (2) A discrete security risk by the violation contributed; (3) An appropriate probability to which the danger has contributed will lead to an injury; and (4) a reasonable probability that the injury will be somewhat serious.</li> <li>The Commission criticized <em>Math</em>Steps 3 and 4, as they are not supported by the text, and known ambiguities that prompted the courts to change the standard repeatedly. A recent reformulation of the Commission (articulated in <em>Peabody Midwest Mining, LLC</em>) required that the danger that results from the violation led to an injury.</li> <li>The Commission emphasized the text of 104 (D) (1), which says <em>Contribution</em>To a danger. The decisions of the DC circuit in <em>Labor against Labor against Jim Walter Resources </em>And <em>Cumberland Coal Resources v. FMSHRC</em>The two were of the opinion that only a contribution to the danger was necessary, the interpretation of the Commission further increased. In addition, the commission found the tests <em>Math </em>And <em>Peabody </em>intervenes in the separate “immediately impending dangers” of the mine act.</li> </ol> <p><strong>Go forward</strong></p> <p>The decision of the Commission lowers the S&S threshold. This shift in interpretation could lead to increased S&S quotes of MSHA inspectors.</p> <p><em>The autumn clipper Charlotte Rhoad also helped work out this blog.</em><br /></p> <p><noscript/></p> <p>[View source.]</p> </div> </div> <footer class="entry-footer default-max-width"> <div class="posted-by"><span class="posted-on">Published <time class="entry-date published updated" datetime="2025-10-04T00:24:00-07:00">4 October 2025</time></span><span class="byline">By <a href="https://todayscontractor.com/author/Alex/" rel="author">Alex</a></span></div><div class="post-taxonomies"><span class="cat-links">Categorized as <a href="https://todayscontractor.com/category/safety-and-regulation-compliance/" rel="category tag">Safety and Regulation Compliance</a> </span></div> </footer> </article> <div id="comments" class="comments-area default-max-width "> <div id="respond" class="comment-respond"> <h2 id="reply-title" class="comment-reply-title">Leave a comment <small><a rel="nofollow" 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