Department of Labor Announces “Self-Audit” Programs for Regulated Community

The Department of Labor has announced the availability of “self-audit” programs intended to help employers, unions, and pension plans voluntarily assess and improve compliance with federal labor laws. The programs are provided by six agencies within the department.

MSHA’s new Compliance Assistance in Safety and Health (CASH) program focuses on new mine operators, miners with less than one year of experience, and newly hired experienced miners. According to the MSHA website, CASH is the agency’s response to “the anticipated surge in U.S. domestic mining productivity” from President Trump’s executive order 14154 (PDF), which directs federal agencies to take actions that support domestic energy production, including the revision and revocation of “burdensome” regulations. The CASH website links to resources on safety and health related to ground control, mobile equipment, and fall protection. Training materials collected on the site include links to MSHA’s “health hazard cards,” which are short descriptions of hazards encountered in mining that are intended to be printed, carried, and shared by miners.

In the case of OSHA, the self-audit programs identified by DOL include the Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) and the On-Site Consultation Program. Neither program is new. VPP began in 1982, and the On-Site Consultation Program is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this year.

Other self-audit programs are available from the Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Office of Labor-Management Standards, the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service, and the Wage and Hour Division. The programs can be accessed from the DOL website. For more information, refer to DOL’s press release.