2023-14199: Lowering Miners' Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica and Improving Respiratory Protection

Summary

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) proposes to amend its existing standards to better protect miners against occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica, a carcinogenic hazard, and to improve respiratory protection for all airborne hazards. MSHA has preliminarily determined that under the Agency's existing standards, miners at metal and nonmetal mines and coal mines face a risk of material impairment of health or functional capacity from exposure to respirable crystalline silica. MSHA proposes to set the permissible exposure limit of respirable crystalline silica at 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air ([micro]g/m\3\) for a full shift exposure, calculated as an 8-hour time-weighted average, for all miners. MSHA's proposal would also include other requirements to protect miner health, such as exposure sampling, corrective actions to be taken when miner exposure exceeds the permissible exposure limit, and medical surveillance for metal and nonmetal miners. Furthermore, the proposal would replace existing requirements for respiratory protection and incorporate by reference ASTM F3387-19 Standard Practice for Respiratory Protection. The proposed uniform approach to respirable crystalline silica occupational exposure and improved respiratory protection for all airborne hazards would significantly improve health protections for all miners and lower the risk of material impairment of health or functional capacity.

The agency’s own summary, as published.

What this changes

Amends 8 parts of the Code of Federal Regulations — the standing rules this notice rewrites.

• 30 CFR 56 Safety and Health Standards—Surface Metal and Nonmetal Mines
• 30 CFR 57 Safety and Health Standards—Underground Metal and Nonmetal Mines
• 30 CFR 60 Respirable Crystalline Silica
• 30 CFR 70 Mandatory Health Standards—Underground Coal Mines
• 30 CFR 71 Mandatory Health Standards—Surface Coal Mines and Surface Work Areas of Underground Coal Mines
• 30 CFR 72 Health Standards for Coal Mines
• 30 CFR 75 Mandatory Safety Standards—Underground Coal Mines
• 30 CFR 90 Mandatory Health Standards—Coal Miners Who Have Evidence of the Development of Pneumoconiosis