Mine Safety and Health Administration April 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This program helps to assure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. Currently, the Mine Safety and Health Administration is soliciting comments concerning the extension of the information collection for 30 CFR 75.215, 75.220(a)(1), 75.221(a), 75.222(a), and 75.223(a), (b), and (d). OMB last approved this information collection request on September 28, 2009. The package expires on September 30, 2012.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is revising its requirements for preshift, supplemental, on-shift, and weekly examinations of underground coal mines to require operators to identify violations of health or safety standards related to ventilation, methane, roof control, combustible materials, rock dust, other safeguards, and guarding, as listed in the final rule. Violations of these standards create unsafe conditions for underground coal miners. The final rule also requires that the mine operator record and correct violations of the nine safety and health standards found during these examinations. It also requires that the operator review with mine examiners on a quarterly basis all citations and orders issued in areas where preshift, supplemental, on-shift, and weekly examinations are required. The final rule will increase the identification and correction of unsafe conditions in mines earlier, and improve protection for miners in underground coal mines.