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

MSHA is rescheduling the date of a public hearing announced in the March 9, 2006 Emergency Temporary Standard on Emergency Mine Evacuation (71 FR 12252). The April 11, 2006 public hearing is rescheduled for May 9, 2006.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) are hosting a workshop to identify the major issues and concerns related to mine escape planning and emergency shelters in the mining industry, and share information with the mining community. The workshop will provide for an exchange of information among all segments of the mining community involved with mine emergency preparedness and will generate an agenda for research to improve technology for mine safety in these areas.

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/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(c)(A)]. This program helps to ensure 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 (MSHA) is soliciting comments concerning the extension of the information collection related to the 30 CFR Sections 70.209, 71.209, and 90.209 Mine Operator Dust Data Card; 70.201(c), 71.201(c), 90.201(c) Reporting Operator Sampling Dates; 70.202(b), 71.202(b), and 90.202(b)Dust Sampling Certification; 70.220(a), 71.220(a), and 90.220(a)Reporting Status Changes; and 71.300, 71.301(d),90.300, and 90.301(d)Respirable Dust Control Plan.

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/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506 (c)(2)(A)]. This program helps to ensure 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 (MSHA) is soliciting comments concerning the extension of the information collection related to the 30 CFR 56.3203(a), 57.3203(a), and 75.204(a); Safety Standards for Roof Bolts in Metal and Nonmetal Mines and Underground Coal Mines.

Under section 101 of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) may allow the modification of the application of a mandatory safety standard to a mine if the Secretary determines either that an alternate method exists at a specific mine that will guarantee no less protection for the miners affected than that provided by the standard, or that the application of the standard at a specific mine will result in a diminution of safety to the affected miners. Final decisions on these petitions are based on the petitioner's statements, comments and information submitted by interested persons, and a field investigation of the conditions at the mine. As designee of the Secretary, we have granted or partially granted the requests for modification listed below. In some instances, the decisions are conditioned upon compliance with stipulations stated in the decision. The term FR Notice appears in the list of affirmative decisions below. The term refers to the Federal Register volume and page where we published a notice of the filing of the petition for modification.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration is requesting data, comments, and other information on issues relevant to underground mine rescue equipment and technology. Over the last several years, improvements have been made to communication devices, sensors and other forms of technology in general industry. As such, continuous development and deployment of mine rescue equipment and technology are crucial to enhancing the effectiveness of mine rescue operations and improving miners' survivability in the event of a mine emergency. Responses to this request for information will assist the Agency in determining an appropriate course of action as necessary to improve mine rescue capabilities.

This notice revises MSHA's Approval and Certification Center (A&CC) user fees for services provided pursuant to part 5 of Title 30 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) during 2006. Fees compensate MSHA for the costs that the agency incurs for testing and evaluating equipment and materials manufactured for use in the mining industry. The fees for 2006 are based on the Agency's fiscal year 2005 actual expenses.

We (MSHA) are revising certain provisions of our regulations addressing the training and retraining of miners. This final rule removes the training exclusion for shaft and slope construction workers. Shaft and slope construction workers will now receive training for new miners, training for experienced miners, task training, annual refresher training, and hazard training. The rule will provide shaft and slope construction workers with the same type of safety and health training afforded other miners.

On August 9, 2005, we issued a direct final rule amending our regulations to reflect changes in policies and procedures for administering fees for testing, evaluation, and approval of equipment and materials manufactured for use in the mining industry. The direct final rule had an effective date of November 7, 2005, provided we did not receive significant adverse comments. Concurrent with the direct final rule's publication in the Federal Register, we published a separate, identical proposed rule to speed notice and comment rulemaking in the event we received significant adverse comments which required the withdrawal of the direct final rule. One interested party submitted a comment to us regarding this rulemaking. The comment raises an issue beyond the scope of the rulemaking, and we do not consider the comment to be a ``significant adverse comment.'' Therefore, this notice confirms the effective date of the direct final rule.

The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden conducts a preclearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This program helps to ensure 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.

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/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(c)(A)]. This program helps to ensure 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 (MSHA) is soliciting comments concerning the extension of the information collection related to the 30 CFR: 7.83 and 7.97Application Requirements; 7.90 and 7.105Approval Markings; 75.363Hazardous Conditions; Posting Correction, and Recording; 75.371(r), (kk), (ll), (mm), (nn), (oo), and (pp)Mine Ventilation Plan, Contents; 75.1901(a)Diesel Fuel Requirements; 75.1904(b)(4)(i)Underground Diesel Fuel Tanks and Safety Cans; 75.1911(i) and (j)Fire Suppression Systems for Diesel-Powered Equipment and Fuel Transportation Units; 75.1912(h) and (i)Fire Suppression Systems for Permanent Underground Diesel Fuel Storage Facilities; 75.1914(f)(1), (2), (g)(5),(h)(1), and (2)Maintenance of Diesel-Powered Equipment; and 75.1915(a),(b)(5), (c)(1) and (2)Training and Qualification of Persons Working on Diesel-Powered Equipment.

Because of the inherent dangers present in all mining environments, we are considering regulatory and non-regulatory approaches to address the risks and hazards to miner safety from the use of or impairment from alcohol and other drugs, and are soliciting information from the public to help determine how to proceed.

At the initiation of the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union (USW) and the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA), and with the concurrence of other interested parties, we (the Mine Safety and Health Administration) are delaying the applicability date of 30 CFR 57.5060(b) addressing ``Diesel Particulate Matter Exposure of Underground Metal and Nonmetal Miners (DPM)'' published in the Federal Register on January 19, 2001 (66 FR 5706) from January 20, 2006 to May 20, 2006, to provide sufficient time to complete the September 7, 2005 proposal to amend the 2001 DPM rule. Section 57.5060(b) is also being revised to reflect this new applicability date. By a separate document published in today's Federal Register we are extending the period for comments on the proposed rule published on September 7, 2005 (70 FR 53280) and rescheduling the public hearings on the proposed rule from September 26, 28, and 30, 2005 to January 5, 9, 11, and 13, 2006. The comment period on that rulemaking will close on January 27, 2006. We find these actions necessary to provide sufficient time and an orderly process for affected parties to comment on that proposed rule.

This document corrects the preamble to a proposed rule published in the Federal Register of August 9, 2005, regarding fees for testing, evaluation, and approval of mining products.

We are amending our regulations to reflect established policy and procedures for administering fees for testing, evaluation, and approval of equipment and materials manufactured for use in the mining industry. This direct final rule eliminates the application fee, allows applicants to pre-authorize expenditures for processing applications, allows outside organizations conducting part 15 testing (explosives and sheathed explosive units) on our behalf to set fees for this testing, incorporates changes concerning our programs and organization, and makes non-substantive conforming changes to related regulations.

We (MSHA) are proposing to revise our existing health standards for asbestos exposure at metal and nonmetal mines, surface coal mines, and surface areas of underground coal mines. The proposed rule would reduce the full-shift permissible exposure limit and the excursion limit for airborne asbestos fibers, and make several nonsubstantive changes to add clarity to the standard. Exposure to asbestos has been associated with lung and other cancers, mesotheliomas, and asbestosis. This proposed rule would help assure that fewer miners who work in an environment where asbestos is present would suffer material impairment of health or functional capacity over their working lifetime.