The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has launched a new enforcement initiative to protect the nation’s miners from health hazards resulting from repeated overexposure to respirable crystalline silica. MSHA said it will conduct silica dust-related mine inspections and expand silica sampling at mines, while providing mine operators with compliance assistance and best practices to limit miners’ exposure to silica dust.
The initiative includes spot inspections at coal and metal nonmetal mines with a history of repeated silica overexposures to closely monitor and evaluate health and safety conditions. There will also be an increased oversight and enforcement of known silica hazards at mines with previous citations for exposing miners to silica dust levels over the existing permissible exposure limit of 100 micrograms. For metal and nonmetal mines where the operator has not timely abated hazards, MSHA will issue a 104(b) withdrawal order until the silica overexposure hazard has been abated. For coal mines, MSHA will encourage changes to dust control and ventilation plans to address known health hazards.
There will also be expanded silica sampling at metal and nonmetal mines to ensure inspectors’ samples represent the mines, commodities and occupations known to have the highest risk for overexposure.
The program will also focus on sampling during periods of the mining process that present the highest risk of silica exposure for miners. For coal mines, those processes include shaft and slope sinking, extended cuts and developing crosscuts, while metal and nonmetal sampling will focus on miners working to remove overburden.
MSHA will also remind miners about their rights to report hazardous health conditions, including any attempt to tamper with the sampling process.
In addition, Educational Field and Small Mine Services staff will provide compliance assistance and outreach to mine operators, unions and other mining community organizations to promote and advance protections for miners.
If miners are exposed to dangerous levels of crystalline silica particles, this increases their risk of developing serious silica-related diseases. These conditions include incurable lung diseases such as coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, commonly referred to as “black lung;” progressive massive fibrosis, the most severe form of black lung; silicosis; lung and other cancers; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; and kidney disease.
“Our agency is working hard and is committed to issuing a silica rule that will enhance health protections for all miners,” Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health Chris Williamson said. “The enforcement initiative that we are announcing today is a step we can take now while we continue the rulemaking process toward the development of an improved mandatory health standard.”
