The requirement is part of the new MINER Act, which became law in June last year after a spate of mining fatalities, including the Sago Mine disaster which killed 12 miners in January 2006.

 

The law requires mine operators to provide enough air to keep miners alive in an emergency but does not specify how that mandate should be met. Last week, MSHA issued mine operators with several options on how to comply with that requirement.

 

Assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health Richard E Stickler said the information bulletin will help ensure that miners are protected should an accident occur.

 

“If miners cannot evacuate a mine following an underground mine emergency, they need a safe location that maintains an adequate supply of breathable air for them to use while they await rescue," Stickler said.

 

Section 2 of the MINER Act requires that each underground coal mine operator adopt a written emergency response plan (ERP) that provides for emergency supplies of breathable air for individuals trapped underground – sufficient to maintain them for a sustained period of time.

 

Options that may satisfy the breathable air requirement include:

 

• An established borehole capable of providing fresh air to a predetermined location;
• A 48-hour supply of breathable air, if advance contingency arrangements have been made to reliably ensure that miners who cannot be rescued within 48 hours will receive additional supplies of breathable air sufficient to sustain them until rescue; and
• A 96-hour supply of breathable air located at a predetermined location, and other methods as long as these methods provide equivalent safety protection.

Mine operators must submit the portion of their ERPs addressing breathable air in 30 days and must implement it in 60 days after the plan is approved by MSHA.

 

The bulletin on breathable air is available for viewing at http://www.msha.gov/