Arlington, VA – The Mine Safety and Health Administration is requesting public comment until May 2 on its proposed rule that aims to reduce miner exposure to respirable coal mine dust.
Published in October, the rule (.pdf file) would revise existing standards regarding occupational exposure to dust by lowering the exposure limit, provide full-shift sampling and expand medical surveillance, among several other requirements.
The comment period follows a previous one that ended Feb. 28 and several public hearings. The agency is soliciting additional information on issues raised during the hearings, specifically concerns about the proposed rule that include effective alternatives to its proposal, dust concentration limits and alternatives to the agency’s timeline for implementing the standard.
