Yesterday, the Senate confirmed Joe Main to serve as the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health. Main was a long-time safety official at the United Mine Workers Association.

As the new head of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), Main will face a number of challenges, including reducing miner exposure to coal dust (the cause of black lung disease) and overseeing MSHA’s process for approving mine plans, which was at times co-opted by mine operators during the Bush administration.

As for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, we will have to continue to wait for any action on nominee David Michaels. On Tuesday I wrote about the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee’s intention to vote on Michaels nomination. But the committee postponed the vote. Rumor has it that the delay is a result of some paperwork problems, and not political.