Mine Safety and Health Administration January 16, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This proposed rule would revise requirements that the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) apply to approve sampling devices that monitor miner exposure to respirable coal mine dust. The proposal would establish criteria for approval of a new type of technology, the ``continuous personal dust monitor,'' which would be worn by the miner and would report exposure to dust levels continuously during the shift. In addition, the proposal would update application requirements for the existing ``coal mine dust personal sampler unit'' to reflect improvements in this sampler over the past 15 years. This rulemaking is limited to approval requirements and does not address requirements concerning how sampling devices must be used to determine compliance, e.g., who and when to sample. Those requirements are addressed in existing 30 CFR parts 70, 71, and 90.