Department of Labor May 1, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is revising the Agency's existing standards on miners' occupational exposure to respirable coal mine dust in order to: Lower the existing exposure limits; provide for full-shift sampling; redefine the term ``normal production shift''; and add reexamination and decertification requirements for persons certified to sample for dust, and maintain and calibrate sampling devices. In addition, the rule provides for single shift compliance sampling by MSHA inspectors, establishes sampling requirements for mine operators' use of the Continuous Personal Dust Monitor (CPDM), requires operator corrective action on a single, full- shift operator sample, changes the averaging method to determine compliance on operator samples, and expands requirements for medical surveillance of coal miners. Chronic exposure to respirable coal mine dust causes lung diseases that can lead to permanent disability and death. The final rule will greatly improve health protections for coal miners by reducing their occupational exposure to respirable coal mine dust and by lowering the risk that they will suffer material impairment of health or functional capacity over their working lives.