Mine Safety and Health Administration September 24, 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is requesting comments on revised instruction guides for coal mine rescue team training. MSHA prescribes training materials through the issuance of instruction guides. Existing standards for coal mine rescue teams include criteria for mine operators to certify the qualifications of these teams. The Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act of 2006 requires MSHA to update these criteria every 5 years; this requirement applies only to coal mine rescue teams. The revised instruction guides update existing mine rescue training materials referenced in the criteria to certify coal mine rescue team qualifications. The revised instruction guides provide improved advanced mine rescue training for coal mine rescue teams by including additional exercises to provide more hands-on skills training to enhance team performance when responding to an actual mine emergency.