Scheduled for March 17 at 9am local time, the event was initially set to be held at the agency’s Approval and Certification Center but due to the significant reservation response will now be held at Wheeling Jesuit University’s Troy Theater in Swint Hall.

After a welcome keynote from A&CC chief John Faini and a review of regulations and technology developments by Dave Chirdon, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health representative Dave Snyder will present a summary of the various communications and tracking contracts that have been awarded to date. Anticipated technological progress will also likely be a hot discussion topic.

After a lunch break onsite, guests will hear a presentation on legal issues from Office of the Solicitor, Mine Safety and Health Division representative Steve Turow, who will tackle the legalities that have played a role in the implementation of the MINER Act.

Among the other afternoon presentations are:

CT Approvals by MSHA electric safety division’s Kevin Dolinar – regarding those systems that have been approved or are under evaluation;

ERP Status Overview by Coal Mine Safety and Health’s Steve Gigliotti – providing an overview of the status of mines’ emergency response plans; and

ERP Issues Panel Discussion with MSHA personnel Don Foster, Larry Cook, Juliette Hill and Dave Chirdon – regarding MSHA’s experience with emergency response plan evaluations.

Organizers said the final program would also cover issues relating to the plan approval process, low seam challenges and interference obstacles from different types of mines, technologies and operators. A final thread of discussion will involve guidance to PPL P09-V-1 compliance.

MSHA will wrap the workshop event with a public question and answer period.

The event will be broadcast via web cast as well. For details on virtual attendance or to register to attend the conference in person, contact Debbie Pawloski at (304) 547-2012 or by email at pawloski.debra@dol.gov.