Main was nominated by President Barack Obama in mid-July, amid nine other appointments to various federal agencies. The agency had been without a chief for almost six months, as former acting assistant secretary Richard Stickler stepped down in January 2009.

A native of the southwestern Pennsylvania coalfields and graduate of the National Mine Health and Safety Academy, Main began working in mines in 1967 and went on to become a union safety committee member and hold various UMWA positions at the local union level.

In 1974, Main became the special assistant to the international president and two years later took the seats of safety inspector, administrative assistant and deputy director for the union’s safety division.

The UMWA’s Occupational Health and Safety Department then appointed Main to the position of administrator, where he remained for 22 years, overseeing the group’s international health and safety program as well as its staff.

Main was most recently a mine safety consultant in Virginia, focusing on international mine safety, research and analysis projects for mine accident prevention and the development of training programs.

The UMWA was one of the first to comment on the unanimous confirmation, calling the new leadership a “refreshing change” for the industry.

"We understand that Joe has many challenges confronting him as he takes the helm, not least of which will be suspicion and confrontation from mine operators who are not used to vigorous enforcement of the law,” the union’s international president, Cecil Roberts, said.

"Nothing can replace careful attention to strong safety and health practices in the workplace by both miners and management every day on the job to ensure that miners' lives and limbs are not put at risk.

“But with such strong and outspoken advocates of workplace health and safety as Joe Main, labor secretary Hilda Solis and President Obama on the side of working miners, we believe that those operators who in the past have chosen to put increased production ahead of miners' health and safety will no longer be allowed to get away with it.”

House Education and Labor Committee chairman Congressman George Miller added: “Main will be a tireless advocate for the health and safety of America’s miners and will bring a needed jumpstart to an agency that suffered from years of neglect.

“I look forward to working with him to ensure that our nation’s miners return home to their loved ones safely at the end of each shift.”