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New Mine Safety Regulations

April 30th, 2008 Posted by Amelia

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) recently published a final rule to increase protections for miners who work in underground coal mines with sealed-off abandoned areas. The regulation appeared on the April 18, 2008 edition of the Federal Register.

The final rule, which replaces the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) that went into effect last May, increases the pounds per square inch (psi) pressure that seals must be able to withstand in the event of an explosion and adds other important safeguards to protect miners.

“This final rule goes beyond the requirements Congress set forth in the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response, or MINER Act, which necessitates that mine seals be stronger than the 20 psi explosive pressure minimum established in 1992,” said Richard E. Stickler, acting assistant secretary for mine safety and health. “Under the new rule, operators must strengthen the design, construction, maintenance and repair of seals, as well as sample and control atmospheres behind certain seals. Seal strength must be designed to at least 50 psi.”

The final rule also has a number of other protections that will improve miner safety. According to MSHA, these regulations include:

Air sampling behind seals that are less than 120 psi and withdrawal of miners when a dangerous condition is discovered.
Removal of potential ignition sources from sealed areas.
Increased training for those involved in seal sampling and construction.
Requirements for design certification of seals.
Enhanced recordkeeping to ensure compliance by mine operators.

In addition, under the new regulations, seal manufacturers and mine operators have six months to submit revised seal applications and ventilation plans, respectively, to comply with the final rule. Otherwise, because the final rule replaces the seals ETS from May 2007, it is immediately effective.

The regulations also require a three-tiered approach identical to that in the ETS, requiring additional strength where sealed atmospheres are more dangerous.

A certified supervisor for construction and repair of seals with senior management of the mine operator required to certify seal compliance with the MSHA-approved ventilation plan.

There are just the latest changes to the federal mine safety regulations in the wake of the mine tragedy at Crandall Canyon mine in

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) published a final rule in the Federal Register that revises existing standards for mine rescue teams for underground coal mines.

The changes to the mine rescue strategy are a direct result of last year’s tragic failed rescue mission at Crandall Canyon mine in Emory, Utah. That effort was led by Richard Stickler, MSHA Acting Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety.

The MSHA final rule implements Section 4 of the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act of 2006 to improve overall mine rescue capability, mine emergency response time and mine rescue team effectiveness.

Another change to the law calls for increased quantity and quality of mine rescue team training.

“The presence of qualified, well-trained mine rescue teams is one of our greatest assets during a mine emergency,” said Richard E. Stickler, Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health. “This regulation will help ensure that no matter where or when a mine accident occurs, dedicated men and women will be readily available and properly trained to assist in the rescue of their comrades underground.”

Reportedly, one of the problems at Crandall Canyon was that rescue team members were unavailable or poorly trained.

The revised mine safety standards go into effect immediately, for all applicable types of mines from salt mines to diamond and coal mines. Many workers are surprised to learn that every state in the nation, from Hawaii to Alaska and Florida to Maine, has mines of some sort.